Rumours of Wiggins’ bid as rower dismissed

Five-time Olympic champion cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins has been tipped to compete at a sixth Games in Tokyo 2020 in a rowing boat – but the claims have been privately dismissed.

The 37-year-old won his fifth Olympic gold medal in the men’s team pursuit at last August’s Rio Games before retiring from cycling in December.

Wiggins, who is friends with former Olympic champion rower James Cracknell, has since enjoyed rowing on an indoor machine for fitness, sharing images of his workouts on social media.

That, though, is believed to be as far as his interest extends.

British road race champion Adam Blythe yesterday suggested Wiggins should row at Tokyo 2020.

“Putting this out there now. @SirWiggo will do rowing at #tokyo20 olympics. And probs Win Gold,” Blythe, who will bid to defend his British title in the Isle of Man on Sunday, wrote on Twitter.

Blythe recently described Wiggins as a “freak” in responding to one of his training posts. And his latest comment came a day after Wiggins posted an image of his bicycle computer, which showed a maximum power of 1,589 watts, alongside the message “PB’ing 8 months into retirement”. A PB is a personal best.

Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner, has been shrouded in controversy since Russian hackers revealed last September that he received three therapeutic use exemption certificates for triamcinolone, a powerful corticosteroid.

Wiggins insists the drug was medically necessary to combat a pollen allergy.

Rowers train frequently on bikes, but it would be unusual for a cyclist to switch in the opposite direction.

Rebecca Romero switched from winning rowing silver in Athens to individual pursuit cycling gold in Beijing four years later, in 2008, when Wiggins won his second and third Olympic golds.

Bradley Wiggins: rowing for fitness.