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Wiggins vows to return to rowing after 'schoolboy error'

London - British cycling great Bradley Wiggins has promised to return to rowing despite making a "schoolboy error" in thinking he had made a false start in the British Rowing Indoor Championships on Saturday.

Five-time Olympic cycling champion Wiggins - who became Britain's first ever Tour de France winner in 2012 - paused early in the elite men's 2km event, which was rowed on machines commonly used in gyms at the Lee Valley velodrome, the scene of some of his most memorable achievements.

Wiggins timed 6:22.5, well outside his target, to finish 21st of 99 competitors

"Huge disappointment today!" he wrote on Instagram.

"Upon hearing a call in the background, I thought the race had false started so I put my oar down."

Wiggins has professed a desire to compete in rowing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and remains undeterred despite Saturday's reverse.

"School boy error but hey we live & learn as my plan was 6.02. Fantastic experience racing with everyone, will come back 12 months stronger next year!"

His rowing mentor two-time Olympic gold medalist James Cracknell said there was no way Wiggins would want to end his sporting career on that low note.  

"He'll be hurting a lot, but he won't leave it like that. He doesn't want to go out on failure," said Cracknell.

"He'll regard that as failing to achieve his target and he'll make sure he comes back and does it better."

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