Bradley Wiggins 'a little bit nervous' as he returns to cycling

Sir Bradley Wiggins has said he is feeling "a little bit nervous" as he prepares to start cycling again. 

The former Tour de France champion is taking part in a 50-mile meet and greet ride in Staffordshire on 29 September. In a promo video for the event, Wiggins, who retired almost eight years ago, said it will be the first time he has ridden a bike in "nearly three years".  

"I'm getting back on my bicycle again," he said. "There are going to be some other stars there. I know Russell Downing is riding. So it'll be good. 

"[It will be] the first time in nearly three years for me getting back on a bike, and I'm looking forward to it. [I'm] a little bit nervous whether I'll get round the whole thing. I think I will, I'm in pretty good shape at the moment. I'm looking forward to it. I hope to see as many of you there as possible."

Wiggins is one of Great Britain's most decorated cyclists of all time; he has won five Olympic gold medals, a world time trial title, and was the first Brit in history to win the Tour de France. 

In early 2022, Wiggins joined a filmed bike ride with former pro Matt Stephens, retracing the route of his London 2012 Olympic time trial victory.

He later explained, however, that he had stopped riding, "because I don't like the person I became when I was on it".  

"I was the most confident bike rider when I was on it," the 44-year-old told the BBC in a documentary released last December. "But step off the bike and I had to step back as Bradley Wiggins, because the bike was where I was most comfortable and gave me all my confidence in my life.

"I can't imagine achieving anything like that now in a sports perspective because I'm not the same person I was. I've grown now. I have all the answers."

In recent years, Wiggins has spoken candidly about the abuse he faced as a child, revealing he suffered "borderline rape" by a former coach. He has also spoken about the trauma of growing up with a largely absent father. 

"A lot of my cycling career was about running away from my past. It was a distraction," he said previously. 

Tickets are on sale at £50 to join Wiggins next weekend on the 50-mile ride, organised by Pau cycling shop. The 2012 Tour winner will also hold a meet and greet afterwards in the brand's store in Stoke-on-Trent.