Sir Dave Brailsford has apologised for his comments this week in which he suggested that spitting was “a French cultural thing.”
“My intention was never to criticise the entire French nation,” said Team Sky’s principal after the summit finish at Col du Portet. “I’m a Francophile. I think anybody who knows me knows that wasn’t my intention but I was pretty agitated about the attention we were getting.
“Of course, I don’t believe that spitting is a French cultural thing, but my point was that we only get that kind of thing at the Tour de France.”
Brailford’s comments were rebuked by the UCI president, David Lappartient, who accused him of fanning the flames in an already tense situation. “When you have a cycling team you don’t insult those who come to watch the race,” Lappartient said. “We and the riders are trying to ease the pressure. It’s wrong that a manager fuels the fire.”
“There was a certain section of the crowd misbehaviour that I don’t think any fair-minded people would think was acceptable,” Brailsford said. “France has given me such a fantastic experience over so many years that I’d never be ungrateful for that. The issue was more security. It’s been quieter, it’s been calmer since we came towards Spain.”
Brailsford added that the climate had made him feel more protective of his people. “Without a doubt,” he said. “I feel very strongly about the security of this team. Like with [Egan] Bernal – I chose to bring him here and then halfway through I thought I might really regret that decision – and that was nothing to do with racing his bike, or performance, it was just about the experience he was having.”
Brailsford refused to discuss the possible termination of Gianni Moscon’s contract with the team after the Italian was thrown off the Tour for swinging a punch towards a French rival on the stage to Carcassonne.
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Wiggle High5 to fold
British-registered women’s cycling team Wiggle High5 will not return in 2019, owner Rochelle Gilmore has announced. The team, which launched in 2013 and employs 17 riders plus 14 full-time members of staff, had reportedly been struggling to find a title sponsor for next season.
“Thank you to all the athletes, staff, partners and especially the fans that got behind the team when we registered back in 2013 and all the way through those six years,” Gilmore said. “It’s been fantastic and we couldn’t have done it without each other.”
Closure of the team leaves British sisters Lucy and Grace Garner to find a new home, while Scotland’s Olympic track champion Katie Archibald also rides for the team when competing on the road. Two of the team’s biggest names, Elisa Longo Borghini and Audrey Cordon-Ragot, have been linked with a move to join Lizzie Deignan in the newly-formed Trek squad.
“This was a volatile environment and I selected him to come here and I take responsibility for bringing him here,” he said. “It’s been a difficult challenge to deal with.
“I’m 55 years old, I should know better myself. If I’m finding it challenging then these young lads are going to find it even more so. I don’t want ‘Brailsford thinks crowd contributed to Moscon behaviour,’ because that would be a step too far. I’m putting the Moscon thing behind me for now and I’m focussing on the guys who deserve all this attention. I’ll come back to him after and draw some conclusions after that.”