Doping row continues

[Graham Breeze]

Wiggins (Daily Telegraph today page 2)

"No evidence exists to prove a case against me..." which is not quite the same as eg "I am innocent and as pure as the driven snow."

[Derby Tup]

I've never failed a drugs test was a common comment from the Texan

[William Clough]

"I haven't broken any rules" Mo Farrah.

[creaky]

"Innocent until proven guilty"

[Stagger]

Nobody checks on your integrity if you can ride a bike quickly.

Bradley Wiggins wrote the Foreword for Sean Kelly's autobiography Hunger (a better book than the biography by David Walsh). I knew most of his story but the most interesting thing to me (beyond the drugs# and his not-getting-on with Roche) was where he admits to the races he threw for a bribe*. Of course this has happened since time began but what is interesting is how Kelly argues that selling a race in this way is not cheating the public.

Oh, right.

*Tour of Lombardy 1986. It is also in Peter Cossins' book The Monuments.

# 1991 Tour de France., His team, PDM, decided the riders should be injected with the food supplement Intralipid in secret. Unfortunately the Intralipid wasn't kept cold enough in the fridge so grew bacteria and most of the team then dropped out with "food poisoning". I remember this at the time and wasn't the only person to think it was all a bit odd because nobody else in the hotel had developed "food poisoning"; but then they weren't having needles stuck in their arms by a Team Doctor.

Didn't Sky pull Froome back to allow Wiggins the victory?
Is that the same?

[CL]

I see the BBC is giving Brailsford and co a chance to explain themselves tonight at 9pm. The first question " Erm....David....what was in the bloody jiffy bag?"

If it hadn't of been for the Daily Mail investigation we might never have heard anything about this. The whole shady practises of Team Sky are just like the goings on in that brilliant drama on BBC4 last night 'I Know Who You Are.'

[CL]

Not forgetting the Team Sky doctor Mr Freeman. That fella was ordering corticosteroids and testosterone like they were going out of fashion. Apparently he was prepared to give the BBC an interview into why British cycling was so good, until someone told him if he was well enough to give interviews to the BBC he was well enough to tell officials what was in the jiffy bag.

He declined. Said on second thoughts he was still a bit under the weather. Definitely a doctor who didn't deserve his place at medical school.

[Graham Breeze]

Not forgetting the Team Sky doctor Mr Freeman. That fella was ordering corticosteroids and testosterone like they were going out of fashion. Apparently he was prepared to give the BBC an interview into why British cycling was so good, until someone told him if he was well enough to give interviews to the BBC he was well enough to tell officials what was in the jiffy bag.

He declined. Said on second thoughts he was still a bit under the weather. Definitely a doctor who didn't deserve his place at medical school.

Allegedly Mr Sutton is going to admit to abusing the TUE system.

Hardly news but it does prompt two thoughts:

- would he have been so candid if he was still on the Sky payroll?

- and with reference to the reason for his departure off that payroll: if he lied about abusing certain lady riders why should he now be believed on the subject of TUEs?

(The answer might be connected to the first question).

[Stagger]

Allegedly Mr Sutton is going to admit to abusing the TUE system.

Hardly news but it does prompt two thoughts:

- would he have been so candid if he was still on the Sky payroll?

- and with reference to the reason for his departure off that payroll: if he lied about abusing certain lady riders why should he now be believed on the subject of TUEs?

(The answer might be connected to the first question).

Very philosophical GB. The lad might have been a little over committed and passionate about winning but I think to sack him was OTT.

The army get results by direct methods.

[Derby Tup]

I wouldn’t mind if Sky hadn’t pursued their holier than thou ‘100% clean’ policy. They were cheating, end of