Ben Wiggins might have an even brighter career ahead than his father Bradley: "I don’t want to put any limits on myself"

Thibau Nys, Mathieu van der Poel… These two cyclo-cross and road stars are part of a long tradition of riders coming from true cycling families — their fathers were also big names in their time. Now, another rising talent is stepping into the spotlight: Ben Wiggins, son of Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, is steadily working toward his WorldTour debut.

Wiggins senior won the 2012 Tour de France. His son, now 19 years old, is currently racing with Hagens Berman Jayco, the development team of Jayco AlUla. Like his father, he dreams of performing at the highest level and one day riding the Tour himself. "I don’t want to put any limits on myself," he told The Telegraph. "I’m really ambitious. That’s where I want to be. But that’ll be, like, probably 10 years down the line from now."

Ben Wiggins is already a junior world champion on the track, just like his father, who also excelled in the velodrome. "There’s definitely a blueprint for me making it to Grand Tours in the long term, whether it’s my dad or guys like G (Geraint Thomas, ed.). Strong track and TT (time trial, ed.) specialists who went on to contend for general classifications in Grand Tours. But that’s not really my focus at the minute."

Read more below the photo!

Wiggins Jr. takes inspiration from the career of Geraint Thomas

"I think I’ll move to WorldTour next year"

For now, Wiggins is mainly focused on the upcoming cycling season, where he will compete in U23 classics such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Paris-Roubaix. But his sights are also set on 2026. "I think I’m developing in a way to move to WorldTour next year. But if it doesn’t happen straight away that’s fine."

Jayco AlUla seems like a logical choice, given that he is already riding for their development squad. "Well, I stagiaired (interned, ed.) for Jayco-AlUla last year and that was really good. So going there would be my first choice, I’d say at this point. But we’ll see how I progress this year. I could win 10 races and have my choice of anywhere. But certainly the support they’ve shown me early in my career, I’ll definitely be giving them first dibs."

Read more below the photo!

Riding the Champs-Élysées in yellow like his dad? Ben Wiggins would love it

Ben on his father Bradley: "I'm very proud of him"

Bradley Wiggins has had a difficult year. He struggled with depression, dealt with the trauma of sexual abuse, and faced enormous debts. In the end, it was his son who helped him get back on track. "We speak all the time. And he’s doing super good. I’m very proud of him," Ben Wiggins said. His unique childhood will be an advantage in the future, he believes.

"I think, if anything, it’s taught me what to do differently, and how to manage it. I mean, no one prepares you for that level of success. But I’m incredibly lucky that I kind of feel like I would be prepared. But I’m not chasing fame, I’m not chasing money, I’m chasing success. They’re things that come with it, aren’t they? I’ll deal with them if and when I make it."

Read also

Pogacar explains how he made enormous progress last year: "It’s really an upgrade for me"

Tom 'Tourist' Pidcock skips Liévin for Saudi Arabia: "Cyclo-cross? Didn't miss it at all this winter"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe