“I wish I’d just said what I thought” – Bradley Wiggins reveals true thoughts on Lance Armstrong and Team Sky
Cycling
Earlier this week, Sir Bradley Wiggins opened up further
about his post-retirement struggles, revealing more about his battle with
addiction, and the surprising figure who played a key role in helping him
through it: Lance Armstrong.
Speaking on the Cyclist Magazine podcast, Wiggins
revealed that the disgraced American Tour de France winner, stripped of his
seven titles due to his doping scandal, helped fund his therapy and offered
vital support during a difficult period. The revelation adds to Armstrong’s
growing role in supporting ex-professionals, having previously stepped in to
assist Jan Ullrich during his own battle with addiction.
But what does Wiggins really think of Armstrong?
For Wiggins, the relationship with Armstrong is complex.
Publicly, he once condemned the American after his 2013 doping confession, but
now admits that reaction was not truly his own.
“I was told what to say about Lance Armstrong, in terms of
my opinion and stuff. And that was one of my main regrets... I wish I'd just
said what I thought.”
Back in 2013, Wiggins had echoed the outrage of the wider
sporting world. In a BBC interview at the time, he criticised Armstrong’s role
in denying him a potential podium finish, having originally finished fourth
behind the American.
Still, 12 years on, most fans of cycling and sport in
general have not forgiven Armstrong for his doping crimes. Yet, he is still a prevalent
figure in the sport, and Wiggins went into more detail about his opinion on the
American.
“I look back now and he certainly robbed me of maybe third
place in the Tour de France and standing on that podium and experiencing what
that was like.”
More than a decade later, Wiggins now suggests that his role
as the face of Team Sky meant he wasn’t always able to speak his truth.
“It was hard, you know, because I was representing Sky. I
had to say everything that they wanted me to say on that issue. And I wish I'd
have been able to have my own voice on that.”
That feeling of lost autonomy echoes throughout the
interview. Wiggins, Britain’s first Tour de France winner and one of the
defining athletes of his generation, reflected on the wider context surrounding
Armstrong’s downfall and the role of the media in shaping public narrative.
“I think there was a lot of hypocrisy in the media, a lot
that media knew what he was doing,” he said. “And people were sat there
dumbfounded that really, 'he took all this stuff?', and people knew what was
happening. They knew what was happening across the sport. You know, it was a
pandemic in the sport in that sense.
“It's still an open wound in many ways.”
Wiggins also touched on his disillusionment with Team Sky’s
internal culture during his racing years, particularly its much publicised
“winning behaviours” programme.
“I don't know what it meant. I remember all that crap they
came out with,” he added. “I mean, it's the same thing Dave Brailsford's doing
the same now at Manchester United – Project 21 or whatever it's called. I don't
know how any of that… that was more, maybe for the staff, the winning
behaviours thing.”
Now nearly a decade into retirement, Wiggins is clearly in a
reflective state of mind, grappling with what the last ten years have meant,
and how lessons learned the hard way have reshaped his view of the people
around him.
“I'm nearly 10 years retired now. I think, God, what's the
last 10 years? And the other thing I probably told my younger self, not
everyone who helps you is your friend and not everyone who hurts you is your
enemy.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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