Cycling Great Bradley Wiggins Announces Plans to Join Rowing Team

Former Tour de France winner and five-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Bradley Wiggins has shifted his sights to rowing, as he will take part in the British Indoor Rowing Championships in December and hopes to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. 

The 37-year-old, who retired from cycling last year, told Mike Harold of the Daily Mail (h/t BBC Sport) he knows he is likely "being a bit delusional" but his current times suggest he might not be:

"I took up rowing when I retired just to keep fit, but my numbers started getting quite good, so I've started taking it up professionally now and getting coached seven days a week.

"I'm going to see how far I can take it. Maybe a sixth Olympic gold?"

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

The 2012 Tour de France winner has done his best to stay in the spotlight since his retirement from cycling, taking part in the game show The Jump until he was forced to quit with a fractured leg, per BBC News.

Per Harold's report, Wiggins considered switching to rowing as early as 2012. 

British Rowing performance director Sir David Tanner has already indicated it could be quite difficult for the Olympian to make the team, per Harold. It's also worth noting the Indoor Rowing Championships take place on static machines―it's unclear whether Wiggins has actually set foot in a boat and taken to the water.