Bradley Wiggins warns young cyclists that Team Sky will ‘ruin you’
Bradley Wiggins has warned young cyclists to steer clear of Team Sky, claiming his former employers will “ruin” them.
The 2012 Tour de France winner was speaking at the announcement of a new roster of riders for Team Wiggins, the under-23 team he has set up. He introduced his new signing Tom Piddock and when asked if he had any advice for his young charge, the 37-year-old made a stinging assessment of his former team. “Don’t go to Sky, steer clear of them,” he said. “Go somewhere else because they’ll ruin you.”
Wiggins was speaking against the backdrop of mounting pressure on Team Sky to submit their appeal to a drug test Chris Froome failed at last year’s Vuelta a España. Froome had double the permitted amount of the asthma drug salbutamol in a urine sample and is now trying to prove there is a legitimate physiological explanation for the adverse finding.
While Wiggins declined to comment on Froome’s case he believes Team Sky’s dominance, winning five of the past six Tour de France races, and a building portfolio of controversy have led to a “negative” atmosphere in the sport.
When asked to elaborate on his comments, Wiggins said: “They are not barbed jokes or digs, that’s the reality of the sport at the moment. I saw the reports only last week from [the Ruta del Sol in] Andalusia, or wherever it was, and they are the best team in the world. How many races did they win last week? And there’s a lot of talk about them at the moment and there’s a lot of negative talk as well.”
The 2012 Tour de France winner was speaking at the announcement of a new roster of riders for Team Wiggins, the under-23 team he has set up. He introduced his new signing Tom Piddock and when asked if he had any advice for his young charge, the 37-year-old made a stinging assessment of his former team. “Don’t go to Sky, steer clear of them,” he said. “Go somewhere else because they’ll ruin you.”
Wiggins was speaking against the backdrop of mounting pressure on Team Sky to submit their appeal to a drug test Chris Froome failed at last year’s Vuelta a España. Froome had double the permitted amount of the asthma drug salbutamol in a urine sample and is now trying to prove there is a legitimate physiological explanation for the adverse finding.
While Wiggins declined to comment on Froome’s case he believes Team Sky’s dominance, winning five of the past six Tour de France races, and a building portfolio of controversy have led to a “negative” atmosphere in the sport.
When asked to elaborate on his comments, Wiggins said: “They are not barbed jokes or digs, that’s the reality of the sport at the moment. I saw the reports only last week from [the Ruta del Sol in] Andalusia, or wherever it was, and they are the best team in the world. How many races did they win last week? And there’s a lot of talk about them at the moment and there’s a lot of negative talk as well.”
Source: theguardian
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