Bradley Wiggins reveals role he plays to son Ben: 'More disappointments and more failures than victories'
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Follow us on GoogleSir Bradley Wiggins appeared onstage at Rouleur Live on Thursday evening, alongside son Ben, who has recently signed a contract with Jayco-AlUla. Bradley Wiggins, who was of course himself a hugely successful rider, discussed their relationship in a segment entitled 'Beyond the Legacy'.
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Wiggins senior spoke about being able to help son Ben to achieve his goals
Ben Wiggins, 21, signed his first WorldTour contract with Jayco-AlUla recently, and will ride for the team in 2027. At the time of the announcement,, he said, "I can’t wait to be part of the races I’ve been following since I was a kid.”
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Bradley Wiggins, who won the 2012 Tour de France with Team Sky spoke about his son's journey to his professional contract, and what his role looked like in that journey.
Bradley Wiggins said he was someone Ben could speak to during disappointment
"It's where I can be the most help to him" said Wiggins Sr., who is still the only rider to have won World and Olympic titles on the track and road.
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Ben Wiggins will ride in the WorldTour next year
"One thing that will never change, is having someone to speak to when you're trying to deal with failure and disappointment. Every step he [Ben] was going through this year was about trying to achieve success."
The Brit went on to explain that he is the listening ear when his son needs, and that they discuss things that could've gone better, or differently together.
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'More disappointments and more failures, than victories, in this sport.'
Bradley Wiggins spoke honestly about the path to success in cycling, saying, 'You are going to have more disappointments and more failures, than you are victories, in this sport.'
The father-son duo also spoke about the general ups and downs of bike racing, reminiscing about the summer of 2012, and how Wiggins' historic win changed life for the family in almost an instant.
Ben Wiggins also spoke about his hopes to balance road and track cycling ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he hopes to emulate his father's success.
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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