Wiggins breaks his silence on ‘witch hunt’ over doping

SIR BRADLEY Wiggins has broken his silence on UK Anti-Doping’s investigation into allegations of wrongdoing in cycling, saying it has provoked a “malicious witch hunt” that has been a “living hell” for his family.

In a statement on his social media pages, Wiggins welcomed the announcement by UKAD that it was closing a 14-month investigation into a package that was delivered to his team doctor at the end of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine race in France.

Wiggins, the first British rider to win the Tour de France in 2012, wrote that being accused of doping “is the worst possible thing for any professional sportsperson, especially when it is without any solid factual basis and you know the allegation to be categorically untrue”.

He explained he has not spoken publicly about the investigation until now “so as not to undermine it”, although this has been difficult as there has been “widespread and unfounded speculation”. He added that he has been “hounded” on his door step and pundits and riders have “waded in without knowing all the facts”. He then poses several questions he would like to ask UKAD, including who was the source of the original allegation, why it was considered credible, how much this investigation has cost and why it has taken so long. He reveals that he spoke to UKAD for more than 90 minutes last November and handed over all relevant medical records in his possession. The agency, he claims, did not ask for any subsequent information. Earlier yesterday, UKAD issued a statement to say it was closing its investigation into precisely what was delivered to Dr Freeman, and administered to Wiggins, more than six years ago. The investigation opened in September 2016.