Review: Sir Bradley Wiggins at the Cambridge Corn Exchange

By Will Shepherd

Tour de France winner, five-time Olympic gold medalist and down-to-earth family man, Sir Bradley Wiggins hosted an extremely entertaining evening on Tuesday evening (September 24).

He talked openly about a tough upbringing and how he used to have to dodge the gangs who hung around his estate in Kilburn when he returned from races as a teenager.

He went on to discuss his early racing life, while staying in dingy basements in France, through to career-defining highlights on the Champs Elysee in Paris and the streets of London where he won the Olympic time trial event, his fourth of five gold medals in an illustrious Olympic career.

What came across throughout, though, was how passionate and knowledgeable he is about the history of cycling, indeed the stage was filled with his own priceless collection of Tour de France yellow jerseys from the 1960s to a jersey worn by Lance Armstrong the day after a fellow rider was tragically killed.

While Wiggins has retired from cycling now, he talked about how he is going to study to help young offenders and how he wants to help others who may be struggling in society, not because he is a Tour de France winner, but because he genuinely wants to.

He also talked passionately about his desire to be a normal father.

Overall, a really entertaining evening for cyclists and non-cyclists alike, aided by ITV's Matt Barbet who came across as a really credible interviewer.

For aspiring time triallists, the big takeaway was some jaw-dropping performance figures and advice on how to handle nerves before a big race - something Bradley Wiggins has plenty of experience of.