Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins is coming to St George's Hall this month

Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins comes to Liverpool this month for an unmissable evening at St George’s Hall.

The British cycling legend will be ‘in conversation’ in the Grade I listed landmark’s magnificent Concert Room on Monday, 27 October to mark the release of his remarkable new memoir The Chain.

He will also take part in a special audience Q&A as part of the event.

The evening is being organised by independent retailers Linghams Booksellers and Booka Bookshop. All tickets include a copy of The Chain.

And the first 100 people to book will receive a golden ticket which will give them the chance to take part in a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity at the end.

Sir Bradley Wiggins is one of the greatest cyclists the UK has ever produced. During his long and illustrious career, he won five Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship titles as well as the Tour de France. He was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year and in 2013 was knighted for services to cycling.

But if you think you know the 45-year-old, think again.

A national hero on the road and track, his is a story also tainted with contradiction, controversy and confusion.

Sitting on a throne after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics, just 10 days after becoming the first Brit to win the Tour de France, Wiggins had the world at his feet.

Sporting hero. People’s champion. Legend. Everyone knew who ‘Wiggo’ was…everyone, that is, but him. Wiggins’ own truth was one of a chaotic and disturbing upbringing mired in abandonment, violence and abuse, and the bike had been his escape, on which he pushed himself to achieve unprecedented success.

But after retirement he descended into deep personal despair, marked by drug addiction that could have killed him. He lost all sense of self-worth and while publicly presenting himself as ‘Sir Wiggo’ the loveable rogue, privately he was at breaking point.

The Chain, which is due to be published on 23 October, is a raw and deeply personal memoir of self-discovery. Here is Wiggins without the mask, sharing his journey back from the brink and, comfortable in his skin for the first time, finally breaking ‘the chain’.

As Wiggins himself writes: ‘Back in 2012, everyone knew who Bradley Wiggins was. Everyone, that is, but me. Thirteen years after the summer that defined me, I have finally defined myself. The disguises have gone. I’ve finally made peace with myself.’

The 27 October ‘in conversation with’ is presented by Linghams Booksellers in Heswall, and Booka Bookshop which has branches in Oswestry and Bridgnorth, who work together to bring high profile authors and celebrities to the North-West.

Credit: Credit: Dana Gardner / Shutterstock

Sue Porter of Linghams Booksellers says:

“I’m absolutely delighted we’re hosting Sir Bradley Wiggins at St George’s Hall this October.

“He is a towering and much-loved figure in British sport but, as he so honestly reveals, behind all the success lay a vulnerable and very lost human being. In The Chain he shares his real story, and the result is a very moving but also ultimately uplifting and powerful piece of writing.”

Carrie Morris of Booka Bookshop adds:

“On the face of it, Bradley Wiggins had it all. He was the king of the road, feted by fans and honoured by royalty. Yet unbeknown to those of us cheering him on, it was all a façade – and when the wheels came off behind the scenes, he had to work out a way to pick himself back up and, if not to get back in the saddle, to find his own personal peace.

“It’s an honour to be able to welcome ‘Wiggo’ to Liverpool and to help him tell his story. It’s going to be a fantastic and very insightful evening.”

Tickets cost £33 including a copy of The Chain, and can be booked here.

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