Armstrong helps Wiggins by paying for his therapy: "He is a good man"

Queen Elizabeth knighted Sir Bradley Wiggins, who was successful in the 2012 Tour de France and won as many as eight Olympic medals, making him Britain's most decorated Olympian. Unfortunately, it has not been about his record-breaking athletic achievements in recent years but about his financial problems and other misfortunes. It was recently announced that Wiggins is struggling with a financial debt of 2.5 million euros. But that is when true friends will show themselves, it is often said, and Wiggins can confirm that.

Indeed, Lance Armstrong is reaching out to his buddy Wiggins. In recent years, the two men have become closer and closer. He even tried to convince Wiggins to go into therapy to deal with his problems, the 2012 Tour winner tells The High Performance Podcast. Wiggins was reluctant to take this step for a long time but has finally decided to give therapy a try. And it is Armstrong who is covering the total expense as a gesture of goodwill.

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Lance Armstrong

Wiggins realizes that "we are born into a struggle" 

"Lance has helped me a lot the last few years - especially this year. We talked about therapy, and he wants to pay me to go to a great place in Atlanta, where you stay for a week,' Wiggins explained. 'He's a good person. What he did, that's not justifiable, but he has a heart somewhere."

For Wiggins, it came at a time when he needed it most. With his lingering mental health problems and financial worries in recent years, the former British rider has been in a dark place many times. "There were extreme moments. Probably the last one was about a year ago. I was in a very dark place, in a very dark hotel, for many days, and my son was the one who finally intervened and made me realize what self-destructive mode I was in. Something was always bothering me, something that didn't make me happy, and always something on the horizon. But I realize now that there will never be a clear path. I realize that we are born into a struggle, and it's what you make of that struggle," it sounds philosophical from Wiggins' mouth.

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Hincapie, Wiggins and Armstrong

Wiggins is now in a good place

Armstrong then tried to convince Wiggins to go into therapy, but at first, he did not like that. "I thought: no therapist will ever have sufficient knowledge to understand what's going on in my head." Meanwhile, multiple Olympic champions have put themselves together and made some changes. "I'm in a good place now. And most of that is because I hit rock bottom," the 44-year-old Wiggins says. "I've finally taken responsibility for my own life, and now I'm not in a situation where I blame others."

In Wiggins' case, money, fame, and achievements do not always make you the happiest person. The Brit says he has found himself again and is taking responsibility for his own life. Let's hope that, in the end, he manages to deal with the financial consequences as well.  

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