Sir Bradley Wiggins has said he is feeling "a little bit nervous" as he prepares to start cycling again.
The former Tour de France champion is taking part in a 50-mile meet and greet ride in Staffordshire on 29 September. In a promo video for the event, Wiggins, who retired almost eight years ago, said it will be the first time he has ridden a bike in "nearly three years".
"I'm getting back on my bicycle again," he said. "There are going to be some other stars there. I know Russell Downing is riding. So it'll be good.
"[It will be] the first time in nearly three years for me getting back on a bike, and I'm looking forward to it. [I'm] a little bit nervous whether I'll get round the whole thing. I think I will, I'm in pretty good shape at the moment. I'm looking forward to it. I hope to see as many of you there as possible."
Wiggins is one of Great Britain's most decorated cyclists of all time; he has won five Olympic gold medals, a world time trial title, and was the first Brit in history to win the Tour de France.
In early 2022, Wiggins joined a filmed bike ride with former pro Matt Stephens, retracing the route of his London 2012 Olympic time trial victory.
He later explained, however, that he had stopped riding, "because I don't like the person I became when I was on it".
"I was the most confident bike rider when I was on it," the 44-year-old told the BBC in a documentary released last December. "But step off the bike and I had to step back as Bradley Wiggins, because the bike was where I was most comfortable and gave me all my confidence in my life.
"I can't imagine achieving anything like that now in a sports perspective because I'm not the same person I was. I've grown now. I have all the answers."
In recent years, Wiggins has spoken candidly about the abuse he faced as a child, revealing he suffered "borderline rape" by a former coach. He has also spoken about the trauma of growing up with a largely absent father.
"A lot of my cycling career was about running away from my past. It was a distraction," he said previously.
Tickets are on sale at £50 to join Wiggins next weekend on the 50-mile ride, organised by Pau cycling shop. The 2012 Tour winner will also hold a meet and greet afterwards in the brand's store in Stoke-on-Trent.
