Rocky road: a Team Sky ransparency is a dangerous The focus of the UKAD investigation is David Kenworthy, UKAD’s chairman, rider trains in Mallorca word, explains Fran Millar. Sport the contents of a Jiffy bag delivered by a described the evidence provided ahead of what could be has asked Team Sky’s director of British Cycling team member, Simon Cope, by Brailsford and British Cycling as a difficult new season business operations if, given that to the Team Sky bus in France on the final “extraordinary” and “very disappointing”. Tthey are the subject of a UK Anti-Doping day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine, just Kenworthy’s comments did, however, (UKAD) investigation into “allegations after Bradley Wiggins had won the race. appear to breach UKAD’s policy of not of wrongdoing in cycling”, the British Suspicion also lingers over Wiggins’ commenting on ongoing investigations. WorldTour team need to be seen to be use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) “His comment about this being more transparent than ever. for the corticosteroid triamcinolone – to ‘extraordinary’ was extraordinary in itself,” “Personally, I’ve never said treat pollen allergies – prior to three of Brailsford told journalists, Sport among ‘transparent’,” says Millar. “And I would the biggest races of his career, all while them, assembled at Sky’s training camp never want it in any of our briefings or he was at Sky. That news – which made its in Mallorca. “This is a statutory body, anything, because it means something way into the public domain courtesy of UKAD, and I think most fair-minded people different to everyone. And this is a high- the Fancy Bears hacking group – and its will think there’s an investigation and a performance sports team. We can’t be accompanying inconsistencies, does not process: ‘Okay, let’s wait until they get to completely transparent, because we want make for a smooth start to the new cycling the end. They have the ability to ask all the to win. We can’t share all our training season, which began earlier this week with questions that need to be asked, go places, techniques, we can’t share how we do the Tour Down Under. wherever they need to go.’ everything. This whole idea that sports But the big question without a definitive “For him to comment halfway through, teams need to be completely transparent – answer is still: what was in the Jiffy bag? as chair of that organisation, when we are it’s an absolute facade anyway, because you trying to respect that process; I’ve written to can’t do that. UKAD to express our concerns about that.” “What you have to do is be honest. You BACK IN A JIFFY There were a lot of questions asked of have to build trust. People have to believe Team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said in Brailsford, most of which came back to in you. And you have to demonstrate that front of Parliament’s Culture, Media and his reluctance to discuss the details of the you are doing it in the right way. And we Sport Select Committee that he had been investigation until it was concluded. As he potentially haven’t done a good enough job told by Team Sky’s then-doctor, Richard himself pointed out: “It’s like roleplay, isn’t of that. And if people have lost trust in us Freeman, that the bag contained Fluimucil, it? I know what you’re going to ask. You because of this, then we have a job to do to a (legal) decongestant. UKAD has, so far, pretty much know what I’m going to say. Russ Ellis Photography Limited via Team Sky win that back.” been unable to verify that claim. That’s the reality of the situation.” k CLOUDY SKY An embattled team principal, an ongoing UK Anti-Doping investigation and a lack of answers about that Jiffy bag. Can Team Sky regain cycling fans’ trust? Words Graham Willgoss 24 To add to Brailsford’s discomfort, star in Spain]. Either it was a fiction, or it operate in this environment, but I’m going rider Chris Froome declined to give a firm suggested that the famed organisational to step outside and do something different,’ endorsement of his boss, despite being prowess of the team might not be so you’ve got everything coming at you that repeatedly invited to do so at a media day impressive after all. I can’t talk for them, you deserve. I’ve got no mercy for that. held in Monaco earlier this month. It was but I would have thought a convincing No mercy whatsoever.” not, Brailsford (below) admitted, an easy explanation would have been a priority.” environment to enter into. Brailsford has admitted he has handled “I don’t think Brailsford has ever loved the situation badly. But what about that TAKING IT ON THE CHIN talking to the press, and he’s got a tendency famous organisational framework – is he Cycling history tells us the dominant teams to be obfuscatory,” says Ed Pickering, editor concerned he might have been let down? in the peloton have often been those of Procycling magazine. “He talks extremely “I can’t be across everything in the prepared to break the rules. That’s not to well, but this sometimes obscures the team,” Brailsford says. “What I do know say Sky have done anything illegal. It’s just fact that he’s actually neither addressing is these are our values, this is what we’re the context in which they find themselves nor answering the question he’s been going to try and achieve, these are our operating. They have to work harder than asked. I hope the fact this has now come processes. And you put things in place and any team in history to win fans’ trust. to a Parliamentary enquiry and a UKAD you expect people then to take personal “I actually think, way prior to the investigation is enough to persuade him to accountability to deliver that... Fancy Bears stuff, we weren’t winning that accept that the questions need to be asked. “But what you can do is make it very war anyway,” says Millar. “People very “Sky have historically been bad at clear in your culture and understanding quickly forget that the Lance Armstrong PR. They have been happy to claim of what is right and wrong, and what reasoned decision [by the United State Anti- transparency, while offering little of behaviour is accepted and what’s not Doping Agency, who labelled him a serial the sort. I was very surprised when the accepted. What’s the way to behave, and cheat who led “the most sophisticated, Emma Pooley alibi turned out to be false what’s not the way to behave. professionalised and successful doping [Brailsford originally claimed Cope had “If someone decides to step outside programme that sport has ever seen”] was travelled out to La Toussuire to see the of that, they’ve got to take accountability in [late] 2012. That isn’t a lifetime ago. British rider in his capacity as women’s for that. If someone decides to say: ‘I “So in the space of four years, people cycling coach; Pooley was in fact racing understand what the rules are and how to aren’t suddenly going to be like: ‘This team’s dominant, they’ve won the Tour [de France] in four of the past five years, I believe them completely.’ Of course they’re not. And they shouldn’t. And we should be “IF YOU STEP OUTSIDE interrogated, and we should be questioned. But we should also be robust enough, and THE RULES, YOU’VE GOT prepared to demonstrate we are doing it in Delivered: Team Sky ride for the right way, and to take that on the chin.” Bradley Wiggins on Stage 5 EVERYTHING COMING AT To Sky’s credit, they have done that partly of the 2011 Dauphine – by holding their media day while beset by the race at the end of which YOU THAT YOU DESERVE” controversy. Though in a sense, they would the team’s doctor received be damned if they did (more questions to the infamous Jiffy bag fuel the UKAD fire) and damned if they didn’t (what do they have to hide?). “If we only do press days when things are easy, people are asking nice questions To clarify, Millar is referring to her “[That] would be an answer to the highest standards,” he says. “I don’t run and we’ve won the Tour; and you shut brother David, who confessed to using question ‘what was in the package?’ backed through this blindly and naively, thinking down when things are difficult, or a bit illegal performance-enhancing drug up with documentary evidence,” he says. I can just keep on going.” rough, or people are asking difficult erythropoietin prior to the 2004 Tour after “There are three realistic outcomes to Some important questions still need questions, I personally don’t think that’s being arrested by French police. He was the UKAD investigation. If there’s evidence to be answered for those high standards the right way to approach it,” says Millar. banned from cycling for two years. of wrongdoing, some individuals will be in to be maintained. If they are, Sky have an “So I think we have a responsibility to “That was a legit doping scandal, and trouble and there will be ramifications for exciting season to look forward to. Geraint our fans, to journalists, to the media, to do the whole world was falling in,” Millar the team.