British former Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is homeless now: "It's just very sad"

Things are not going well for Bradley Wiggins, the British former cyclist who won the Tour de France in 2012. Born in Belgium, Wiggins has lost his entire fortune due to a series of poor decisions and has subsequently gone bankrupt, leading to creditors seizing his assets. He is now reportedly couch surfing with acquaintances, as he no longer has a permanent place to live.

Wiggins has certainly had a turbulent life. He was abandoned by his father, who left him and his mother, and he suffered further due to the actions of his stepfather and one of his cycling coaches. Cycling ultimately became a refuge for Wiggins, and he excelled in the sport, first on the track and later on the road.

At Team Sky, he obsessively developed into a grand tour rider, culminating in his Tour de France victory in 2012. Just weeks later, he clinched the Olympic time trial in his home country, and two years after, he ticked off a World Championship time trial victory. In his final year, Wiggins aimed to focus on Paris-Roubaix, but that mission was unsuccessful.

By mid-2016, he cycled his last professional kilometers and then fell into a downward spiral. As a cyclist—and a British knight, with a Sir title—he had earned significant money, but it quickly evaporated after his career ended in various ventures. He briefly took up rowing and was also an entertaining commentator on the motorcycle for Eurosport, but meanwhile, he drifted further away.

Following his career, Bradley Wiggins made several confessions. He admitted to suffering from impostor syndrome, which involves an inability to enjoy your achievements and a tendency to belittle them. He also disclosed that he was beaten by his stepfather after his father, who died in 2008, had abandoned him, and that he was sexually abused at the age of 13.

These experiences deeply affected the British cyclist’s mental state. In recent years and months, there were frequent reports that Wiggins was financially struggling, which ultimately led to bankruptcy. Now, his properties, investments, and various other assets have been seized. It is unclear whether items like his Tour de France yellow jerseys, Olympic medals, and other career accolades are also being sold.

His lawyer, Alan Sellers, described Wiggo's situation in The Daily Mail: "It's a disaster. He has lost everything, really everything—his home, his holiday house in Mallorca, his savings, and his investments... He doesn't have a penny to his name. It's really sad. I don't know where he slept last night, and I don’t know where he'll sleep tonight or tomorrow. He doesn't have a permanent address."

Meanwhile, Wiggins has sued some of his creditors, hoping to alleviate his financial woes, while also looking to his passion for cycling to help him recover. He is expected to have a role in the upcoming Tour de France, aiming to start his comeback...