Since stepping down as the UK’s most celebrated racing cyclist, he has been candid about his battles with mental health and addiction. Now, he’s heading to the United States for further treatment.

However, The Daily Mail reports that Sir Bradley Wiggins may be turning a corner, as he is currently dating a captivating fellow cyclist who has reignited his passion for cycling.

His new companion, social media influencer Courtney Knott, is based in the US, suggesting that his upcoming trip across the Atlantic might be both a romantic and therapeutic endeavor.

Courtney Knott is a cycling consultant in her thirties, known for organizing high-end cycling retreats in Aspen, Colorado.

She previously worked as the social media manager for WEDŪ Inc, a media company initiated by the renowned but controversial cyclist Lance Armstrong.

At 45, Wiggins credits this newfound romance with helping him rediscover the joy of cycling, a sport he struggled with following his retirement.

The new relationship began to become public when Wiggo, as he is affectionately known to fans, was spotted together with Courtney at a cycling event in Putney, London last month.

Smiling and seemingly back on form, it was the first time Wiggins had been seen back on his bike for a while.

Bradley Wiggins with his new girlfriend Courtney Knott – a stunning fellow cyclist who he credits for rekindling his love for the sport

Social media influencer Courtney Knott, is herself US-based, the transatlantic trip Wiggins is making today is expected to be as much a romantic as a therapeutic one

In a post on Instagram, he said: ‘For me being back on the bike and finding enjoyment on the bike has been really liberating for me really, it has sort of freed me of my past.

‘A year ago I had no intention of ever swinging my leg over a bike, my partner, Courtney, she reintroduced me to the bike, really, made me find my love for it…it’s been fantastic, it really has.

‘Obviously I’m never gonna escape being Sir Bradley Wiggins, the guy who won the Tour de France and the Olympics 10 days later.’

And it emerged last night that Sir Bradley’s trip today to one of America’s leading trauma rehabilitation clinics came about with Armstrong’s support.

He said during a talk at the Barbican in York this week ‘I still speak to him (Armstrong) and see him.

‘I’m off to America [today]. Friday. He’s paid for me to go and see a top trauma counselling clinic in Utah so I’m looking forward to that.’

Courtney lives in Colorado, a state adjacent to Utah, and Wiggins is expected to spend time with her during the trip too.

Wiggins said he has been inspired by people still wanting to have a selfie with him 13 years on from his achievements.

He said: ‘That inspiration piece, that it was to so many to get on a bike all those years ago, has never gone away, and again it’s something that I resented for a period, pushed away, didn’t want to be a part of, but now I embrace it, because I was inspired my people at one time by people to get back on a bike and what it means to them just to turn a pedal with you, so I love it and that gives me fulfilment.’

Ms Knott is a cycling consultant in her thirties who also runs luxury cycling camps in Aspen, Colorado

The new relationship began to become public when Wiggo, as he is affectionately known to fans, was spotted together with Courtney at a cycling event in Putney, London last month

Wiggins was married to ex-wife Catherine for 16 years before they announced their separation in May 2020. They married in 2004 and have two children together, Ben and Isabella. In May 2020, it was announced that Wiggins and his wife had separated.

Wiggins found love again shortly after with PR executive Laura Hartshorne after they met through mutual friends. The couple have a daughter called Ava but later separated.

Wiggins was the first Brit to win the Tour de France with his success in 2012.

He then followed it up with a gold medal at the London Olympics that same year.

He has won eight Olympic medals in total and was heralded for his achievements by being named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year before being knighted in 2013.

But issues with drugs curtailed his happiness and his life completely unravelled following his retirement in 2016.

At the height of his slump he claims he ended up homeless in a crackhouse in Middlesbrough, sleeping in his car or on park benches in Clapham Common.

One explosive cocaine binge saw him destroy his SPOTY award and knighthood in front of his children, Ben, 20, and Bella, 19.

Wiggins in 2012 when he won the Tour de France. He then followed it up with a gold medal at the London Olympics that same year

Ms Knott is also the former social media manager for media company WEDŪ Inc, which was founded by cycling legend and drugs cheat Lance Armstrong

He ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2024, despite reported earnings of £13m during his career.

That year the £975,000 barn he once shared with his ex-wife Cath and their children had been repossessed by a building society and sold.

Wiggins revealed some of his most troubling times in a new book.

He said that when he stopped competing he began revisiting his past, including the harrowing sexual abuse he suffered from cycling coach, Stan Knight, during training camps as a teen.

In Wiggins’ new autobiography The Chain, the cyclist describes his abuser as a ‘constant insidious figure’ for three years – between 13 to 16 – but also credits him with being instrumental in his success.

Wiggins also writes about the complicated relationship he had with his father, Gary, who abandoned him and his mother.

Gary had drug and alcohol problems and was a former professional cyclist who died in 2008 aged 55 after suffering a head injury after a house party in New South Wales.

But these days Wiggins says he is clean, back on an even keel, and back on top of his finances.

‘It’s all resolved now. I’m on the front foot now. This was something that was done to me. It has all turned around. The people who are responsible are paying a heavy price for it. Fortunately, it’s all good. My life’s in a good place,’ he told The Times.