Cyclist in shock over father's death

Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of the father of British cyclist Bradley Wiggins.

Gary Wiggins, 55, was discovered unconscious in a street in Aberdeen in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, and later died in hospital.

A post-mortem examination found he died from an injury to the head. According to reports, detectives suspect he was either beaten or fell over while drunk.

New South Wales Police said: "The circumstances leading up to Mr Wiggins' death are still to be confirmed and it is being treated as suspicious at this stage."

Mr Wiggins, a triple Olympic medal winner, said he was "in shock" over his father's death.

In a statement he said: "We still don't know the full details of what happened, however I have every confidence that the authorities will get to the bottom of this out in Australia.

"Training had been going very well for the forth coming World Championships in Manchester and whilst this is a time for reflection I am also looking forward to rejoining my colleagues training out in California."

Mr Wiggins became the first Briton to win three medals - a gold, a silver and a bronze - at a single Olympic Games for 40 years at Athens in 2004.

His Australian-born father was also a very successful cyclist in his younger years.

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