A five-time Olympic champion on the bike, you’d be excused for expecting Sir Bradley Wiggins to be putting his feet up post-retirement.
But this is Wiggo after all and chilling out isn’t on the agenda as he swaps his wheels for an ergo in preparation for next month’s British Rowing Indoor Championships.
Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner, announced his retirement from cycling in December last year and took up rowing in an effort to keep fit.
But the numbers he was producing on the rowing machine proved too good and the 37-year-old has since taken up the sport professionally, receiving coaching from two-time Olympic champion James Cracknell.
He’s not the first Team GB athlete to switch between the sports however – Sir Chris Hoy was a junior rower for Scotland before becoming a professional cyclist while Rebecca Romero won Olympic medals in both.
Wiggins will take on the best of the GB Rowing Team over 2,000m at the Championships, which will take place at London’s Olympic Velodrome on December 9.
At last year’s Championships, Adam Neil took home the title in a time of 5:46.50 , with Callum McBrierty and Matt Rossiter second and third respectively.
In 2015, two-time Olympic medallist Moe Sbihi – champion in the men’s four in Rio – smashed Sir Matthew Pinsent’s 11-year British indoor rowing record in a time of 5:41.80.
“It’s really exciting that Wiggo is going to be racing. On a personal level, I’m a massive cycling fan and he’s probably a large reason for that,” said World Championship bronze medallist Rossiter.
“What he did in the Tour in 2012 was absolutely immense and he’s got a bag full of Olympic gold medals.
“He has to have one of the biggest engines ever in world sport and for him to try and tune it to rowing is awesome.
“To be lining up against one of your ultimate sporting heroes is an absolute privilege. He just better not beat me!”
Sportsbeat 2017