Sir Bradley Wiggins’ fall from trailblazing cycling hero to bankruptcy is a sad reminder of the financial struggles that many athletes face, says Dame Sarah Storey.
Wiggins was declared bankrupt this year, little more than a decade after he became a household name by winning the Tour de France and a gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
“I haven’t seen Bradley for a long time. I have followed his story and it is obviously really sad to see a former team-mate go through what he is going through,” said record-breaking 19-time Paralympic champion Storey.
“There is support around for athletes, but when you are a megastar, whether that generic support provided is suitable is a really big question.
“You have a lot of pride because you are the person that everyone has on a pedestal, so seeking help is hard.
“I have always tried to mentor younger athletes to be really aware of their finances. I was very fortunate to spend five years working with Scottish Widows before the Games in 2012.
“One of the things that is really stark is the lack of preparation athletes have for things like pensions and investments with a look to their future.
“Most athletes get to the age of 30 and they receive a letter from HMRC telling them that they owe thousands of pounds in National Insurance contributions because they didn’t even realise they had to pay them once they left education. It is incredibly sad and I hope he bounces back.”
Storey is hoping to emulate Wiggins by winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year this week.
She is on a six-person shortlist headed by 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson and darts prodigy Luke Littler which also features football star Jude Bellingham, cricketer Joe Root and triathlete Alex Yee.
There is no place, however, for fellow cyclist Mark Cavendish, despite breaking Eddy Merckx’s all-time record for Tour de France stage wins.
Dame Sarah Storey, 47, added: “I would love to have shared the list with Cav. Equally, if we can get a cyclist back on to the top then it would be amazing to be able to represent not just the whole of the world of cycling, but also the whole of the ParalympicsGB team, as well as mums of a certain age and women who would play sport across so many different communities.”