Latest news with #BradleyWiggins
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Lance Armstrong's colossal net worth and what Tour de France drugs cheat is doing now
Retired cyclist Lance Armstrong was the holder of seven consecutive Tour de France titles before he was unceremoniously stripped of them due to his doping scandal Lance Armstrong was once one of the world's most famous athletes, having won seven consecutive Tour de France titles. But now, after a major doping scandal in 2012, the retired cyclist watches on from the sidelines as the new generation take on the sport's gruelling challenge. The Tour de France is set to conclude on Sunday, with a 132.2km trek through Mantes-la-Ville in Paris to finish the 21-stage event. Armstrong won this prestigious race seven years in a row, from 1999 to 2005. However, an investigation found that the American had been using performance-enhancing drugs over his successful career. As a result, these wins were rendered null and void, and Armstrong was subsequently banned for life from all sanctioned bicycling events. The 53-year-old raced for Motorola, Astana Pro Team and Team RadioShack, and won a gold medal at the 1993 World Championships in the Elite Men's Road Race. Armstrong is well-known for his charity work, following his stage-three testicular cancer diagnosis in 1996 at the age of 25. After recovering from the disease, he set up the Lance Armstrong Foundation – which he is no longer associated with – aiming to support people affected by cancer. The former cyclist joined many other high-profile sporting icons – including Muhammad Ali, Tony Hawk and Mia Hamm – to found Athletes for Hope. This charity helps professional athletes get involved in causes close to their hearts, through volunteer work and supporting the community. So, what is Armstrong up to now? Here, Mirror Sport has delved into the once-iconic cyclist's life, from his colossal net worth to his association with Sir Bradley Wiggins and what he is spending his time on now. Impressive net worth Across his career, Armstrong won multiple major races – including his now-stripped Tour de France titles – that included the Clasica de San Sebastian, Tour de Luxembourg and World Road Race Championships. The ex-cyclist worked with a number of big brands during his racing days, including Nike, Trek, AMD and Oakley, with these endorsements only adding to his expanding fortune made from winning so often. As of right now, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Armstrong is worth an eye-watering £37.2million ($50m), which is a far cry off of his biggest fortunes. The same report states that at the peak of his career, Armstrong was worth an unbelievable £92.4m ($125m), which would have been even more impressive in terms of money at the time. The ex-cyclist still earned plenty of money after his permanent retirement from competing in 2011 – before his doping allegations came to light – as he took part in public appearances, sponsorships with brands and speaking engagements. Sir Bradley Wiggins association – 'An inspiration' Five-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins has previously called Armstrong an "inspiration", as he revealed his battle with drug addiction after his retirement. Wiggins became the first Brit to win the Tour de France in 2012, in the same year that Armstrong's doping accusations became apparent. After a career spanning over a decade, with 14 gold medals and various other accolades, Wiggo retired in 2016 and subsequently fell into a cocaine addiction. Speaking to the Observer in May this year, the 45-year-old revealed he was "walking a tightrope" and that he had spiralled so bad that his "kids were going to put me in rehab." Since, Wiggins has credited the disgraced Armstrong as a great source of comfort and support throughout this period of his life, telling BBC Radio 5 Live that he is "indebted" to the ex-cyclist for his help. He said: "He's been a great strength to me and a great inspiration to me, and it's on a human level. Lance has been very, very good to me. That's not something everyone wants to hear because people only like to hear the bad stuff. "You can only take someone how they treat you and Lance has been a source of inspiration to me and a constant source of help towards me and is one of the main factors why I'm in this position I am today mentally and physically, so, I'm indebted to him for that." Life now – Happy families and new ventures Nowadays, Armstrong seems to have a more relaxed life in his retirement. He married yoga instructor Anna in a small ceremony in France in August 2022. The pair got engaged in 2017 after a decade of knowing one another, and they have two children together; Max and Olivia. Armstrong also has three children from a previous relationship with Kristin Richard, whom he was married to for five years before they divorced in 2003. They have two daughters, Grace and Isabelle, and a son called Luke. During the height of his fame, the 53-year-old dated a host of other famous faces, including Sheryl Crow, Kate Hudson and Tory Burch. Most recently, Armstrong is focusing his time on his podcasting career, with two shows out focused on various topics. One is dedicated to iconic races and is called The Move, and his secondary podcast, The Forward, is centred more on interviewing various types of famous personalities. While the veteran athlete can no longer take part in professional cycling, he still enjoys the sport at his leisure. Speaking on The Howard Stern Show in 2017, though, Armstrong admitted he loathed cycling due to the scandal, and he compared it to a relationship breaking down. Armstrong said: "For three or four years, I hated cycling because of what my life has looked like for the last four or five years. Just like with any kind of breakup, there are hard feelings."
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ineos-Grenadiers soigneur leaves Tour de France amid investigation over 2012 doping allegations
A team soigneur, or carer, for Ineos-Grenadiers has left the Tour de France after being asked to speak to the International Testing Agency (ITA) over allegations relating to the 2012 season, the British team has confirmed. 'Following recent media allegations, David (Rozman) has now received a request from the ITA to attend an interview. Accordingly, he has stepped back from race duties and has left the Tour,' Ineos-Grenadiers said, adding the team had not been presented with formal evidence or asked to participate in any inquiry. The ITA declined to comment and Rozman did not answer phone calls. The Irish Independent reported earlier this month that Rozman exchanged messages in 2012 with a doctor linked to the Operation Aderlass doping scandal that shook the sporting world in 2019. German broadcaster ARD also last month reported exchanges involving Ineos, but did not name Rozman. READ MORE Operation Aderlass involved a German physician Mark Schmidt, who had been giving illegal blood transfusions to athletes from various disciplines, including cycling. Schmidt was later convicted and in 2021 was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. The 2012 Tour de France was won by Britain's Bradley Wiggins with the team, then known as Team Sky. His former team-mate Chris Froome went on to win another four Tour titles for the team. Soigneurs typically look after the cyclists, providing massages and carrying out a host of other jobs for the team. Ineos said in its statement that it had commissioned an inquiry by an external law firm after Rozman informed the team of a first meeting with the ITA earlier this year. 'Team member David Rozman was informally contacted in April 2025 by a member of ITA staff, who asked him about alleged historical communications,' Ineos said. 'Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm,' it added, without elaborating. The news came as the 171.5km 18th stage finished atop the Col de la Loze, where Australian Ben O'Connor (Team Jayco AlUla) won from an early breakaway to take his first stage victory of this year's Tour. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) maintained his iron grip on the yellow jersey, extending his gap to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the general classification by nine seconds to lead the Dane by 4′26 overall after the pair finished the stage in second and third respectively. Ireland's Ben Healy remains ninth in the GC after Thursday's stage, finishing 17th, 9′28 behind O'Connor.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Ineos-Grenadiers says soigneur has left Tour amid 2012 doping questioning
COURCHEVEL, France, July 24 (Reuters) - A team soigneur, or carer, for Ineos Grenadiers has left the Tour de France after being asked to speak to the International Testing Agency (ITA) over allegations relating to the 2012 season, the British team said on Thursday. "Following recent media allegations, David (Rozman) has now received a request from the ITA to attend an interview. Accordingly, he has stepped back from race duties and has left the Tour," Ineos Grenadiers said, adding the team had not been presented with formal evidence or asked to participate in any inquiry. The ITA declined to comment and Rozman did not answer phone calls. Rozman was reported by the Irish Independent earlier this month to have exchanged messages in 2012 with a doctor linked to the Operation Aderlass doping scandal that shook the sporting world in 2019. German broadcaster ARD also last month reported exchanges involving Ineos, but did not name Rozman. Operation Aderlass involved a German physician Mark Schmidt, who had been giving illegal blood transfusions to athletes from various disciplines including cycling. Schmidt was later convicted and sentenced in 2021 to four years and 10 months in prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. The 2012 Tour de France was won by Britain's Bradley Wiggins with the team, then known as Team Sky. His former teammate Chris Froome went on to win another four Tour titles for the team. Soigneurs typically look after the cyclists, provide massages and carry out a host of other jobs for the team. Ineos said in its statement that it had commissioned an inquiry by an external law firm after Rozman informed the team of a first meeting with the ITA earlier this year. "Team member David Rozman was informally contacted in April 2025 by a member of ITA staff, who asked him about alleged historical communications," it said. "Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm," it said, without elaborating.
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘How do you stay so fit?' – Bradley Wiggins pokes fun at disgraced Lance Armstrong as fans say ‘love this bromance'
BRADLEY WIGGINS poked fun at disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong as he quipped 'how do you stay so fit?' The two cycling legends linked up for an unlikely meeting at a bike event. 8 8 8 8 Wiggins, 45, and Armstrong, 53, posed for snaps together as they cracked smiles for the camera. And as they continued to talk, Armstrong tucked into a packed plate of cinnamon rolls. But this left Wiggins bemused as he questioned the icon's sweet diet. And he cheekily poked fun at Amstrong by asking: 'How do you stay so fit when you eat like a 12-year-old?' Fans were left amused as they 'loved the bromance' between the pair, although some were more concerned by Wiggins' extremely short shorts. One said: 'The breakfast of champions.' Another declared: 'Wiggo loves them short shorts.' One noted: 'The real story is those shorty shorts though.' Another added: 'Two legends.' Armstrong won a record seven consecutive Tour de Frances during the peak of his career between 1999 and 2005. Inside the 'second coming' of Sir Bradley Wiggins as he makes return to cycling after 'isolating himself from the world 8 8 8 8 The victories were made even more remarkable by the fact he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. However, Armstrong was stripped of his victories in 2012 after he was found guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. The legend was banned for life from professional cycling events and reportedly lost around £70million-worth of sponsorship deals in one single day. As for Wiggins, he won the 2012 Tour de France and also picked up four gold medals for Team GB ranging from the 2004 Olympics up to Rio 2016. Wiggins was knighted in 2013 and was also crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ben Wiggins targets Olympic glory of his own
Ben Wiggins won a silver medal in the men's junior individual time trial at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow [Getty Images] Cyclist Ben Wiggins, son of five-time Olympic champion and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley, has opened up on the good and bad of being related to a legend of the sport. The 20-year-old from Ormskirk is currently competing at the Under-23 Giro D'Italia, also known as Giro Next Gen, and has admitted the Wiggins surname carries a hefty weight of expectation. Advertisement "I definitely see it partly as an advantage but, trust me, there's an awful lot of things that come with it that aren't as easy," Wiggins told BBC Radio Lancashire. "There's a lot of benefits that come with it that people would expect, but then there's more things that come with it that aren't as good. "I'm incredibly proud of him and what he did. Sometimes, when they do team presentations before the race, I'd be brought on stage and introduced as Bradley Wiggins' son before my name is even mentioned. "I'm also compared to the standards of a five-time Olympic champion and Tour de France winner. Advertisement "I'm 20 years old. Maybe when I'm 35 that's fair enough, but I'm just getting started." Wiggins began his cycling career in 2022 when he signed as a junior rider for the Fensham Howes-MAS Design team. After winning a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in the men's junior individual time trial, Wiggins joined United States-based Hagens Berman Jayco, managed by Axel Merckx - the son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx. Wiggins says his and Merckx's similar stories played a big role in deciding which team to ride for. "As a junior, I was second in the World Championships in Glasgow and I had the choice of many different places to go," he explained. Advertisement "But for me, having that figure in the team which felt the same experience as me - but on a bigger scale - that was the biggest attraction." Wiggins is targeting Olympic gold at the LA Games in 2028 [Getty Images] A rugby and football fanatic from an early age, Wiggins says he was 15 before he wanted to become a cyclist, despite his father's influence on the sport. "I played rugby and football predominantly up until when Covid hit and we couldn't play team sports. At school, there was that banter around cycling. It's not fancy, it's not cool," he said. Wiggins also has his eyes on representing his country at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles but says he has a lot of work to do if he is to follow in his father's footsteps. Advertisement "My ambition is to be an Olympic Champion in LA," Wiggins added. "There's plenty more things on the table for me to achieve but it's a dream of mine so that's definitely the mid to long-term goal, on the track or on the road. "If you can do both you're a big asset for the team, so that's my ambition."
