London - Newly retired Olympic cycling champion Bradley
Wiggins will swap the velodrome for the ski jump ramp in British television
show The Jump, the programme makers announced on Tuesday.
Wiggins, 36, follows in the footsteps of fellow British
sporting greats Steve Redgrave (rowing), Beth Tweddle (gymnastics) and Rebecca
Adlington (swimming), all of whom pulled out of the show through injury.
But the five-time Olympic champion, who became Britain's
first Tour de France champion in 2012, is a seasoned skier and says he is
looking forward to the challenge of learning how to ski jump.
"Skiing is a big passion of mine. It was a mix of that
and the other committed names this year that made me want to sign up,"
Wiggins said in a press release.
"Major retiring Olympians such as Sir Steve Redgrave
have also trod this path. I see this as a sporting challenge and want to go out
there and win it. Just don't call me a celebrity."
Other participants in the programme include former England footballer Robbie Fowler, ex-England rugby captain Jason Robinson and Olympic gymnast Louis Smith.