Profile: Bradley Wiggins

BRADLEY “Wiggo” Wiggins threatens to become a style icon as well as sporting legend, writes Alastair Dalton.

The self-confessed and committed Mod has attracted the support of musician Paul Weller and helped design cycling jerseys for Mod-linked clothing label Fred Perry.

The sportsman, familiar for his sideburns, is said to love classic guitars and has a collection of scooters.

He has also admitted relaxing after the first day of the Tour de France “with a nice cup of tea”.

Wiggins was born in Belgium in 1980. His Australian father, who died in 2008, was also a racing cyclist. He moved to London, aged two, with his English mother when his parents split up.

Inspired by Chris Boardman’s Olympic gold at the Barcelona Games in 1992, Wiggins started racing in south London and went on to clinch the World Junior Pursuit title in 1997.

He won the first of his six Olympic medals with a bronze in Sydney in 2000, followed by a full set in Athens in 2004 and a further two golds in Beijing in 2008. He is tipped for gold in the road time trial in the London Olympics. He lives with his wife and two children in Lancashire.