SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS was unable to make a splash as he made his debut in competitive rowing.
The five-time Olympic cycling champion finished in 21st place at the British Indoor Championships in London.
Wiggins – who retired from cycling in December 2016 – was competing in the elite men’s two-kilometres event at the LeeValley Velodrome.
Ahead of the competition the 37-year-old told LBC Radio that he didn’t want to enter his age group and “beat some bloke…who works in Tesco’s during the week,” but wants to compete against the GB rowing team.
In his first race against the sport’s elite Wiggins got off to a slow start.
After mistakenly believing he false started the 2012 Tour de France champion stuttered showing his inexperience.
He recovered his rhythm but shook his head at finishing in six minutes 22.5 seconds.
Wiggins then left the competition area and did not speak to the awaiting media.
Team GB rower Adam Neill won for the second successive year in five minutes 48.2 seconds.
The most decorated British Olympian – with a total eight medals – announced his bid to win a sixth gold medal at Tokyo 2020 as a rower earlier in the year.
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He initially took up the sport to keep fit following his retirement from cycling.
But he said at a corporate event in June that his “numbers started getting quite good.”
And with the help of friend and former Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell, Wiggins was training seven days a week to prepare for his debut at the Championships.
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