Forum menu
It's a fairly comprehensive response to most of the allegations so far (although I see someone has already questioned the Sky statements about limitations on doctor prescription rights across Europe).
Given all the hassle so far, it's puzzling they took so long to respond. Because of all the dissembling and stalling, they are now fighting an uphill battle to convince people of their integrity. Let's see if the press keep digging.
I guess the problem is it opens another door... 'so you had comprehensive medical records for virtually all the other riders, show me' so it goes on, maybe another error or omission and it's death by a thousand cuts.
there has to be a sacrifice, freeman, SDB or the entire team?
I read the report and found it quite believable. I hope it is true.
Given all the hassle so far, it's puzzling they took so long to respond.
Well the document says they were told not to discuss it publicly while the investigation was ongoing, the problem with that being that it just allowed more time for rumours, claims, allegations etc to do the rounds...
Damned if you do, damned if you don't!
I'd like to believe the letter, it does sound convincing....ish..
But then this is pro-cycling!
It's a fairly comprehensive response to most of the allegations so far
they've had 6 months to come with it. Problem is their credibility is shot, why do we start believing them now? They were adamant the jiffy was for Pooley. Then they were adamant Wiggins wasn't there to receive it as the bus had already left. Now they're suddenly adamant he was there, he was given it in the team bus, and it was [i]definitely[/i] just flumicil. They "understand" that Flumicil wasn't available in France in Nebuliser form which is why they had to fly it down, which doesn't seem quite such a definite given the expense and hassle they went through.
You can summarise the above covering letter as "look at how well we've shut the stable door" .
Interesting to see how the Brailsford/Froome dynamic plays out, especially if SDB doesn't go. Just listened to The Cycling Podcast and by all accounts they've never been close as Froome resented having to give way to Wiggins in 2012 Tour. I can't see them both staying at Sky now that Froome has failed to come out in support of SDB.
"“Dave’s approach was rather like a character in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass,” Froome says. “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean – ‘neither more nor less’. My understanding was that I would go to the Tour as a protected rider but the details were never teased out. Dave’s words would mean just what he chose them to mean.”"
I think it's been evident for a while that Sky are not nearly as ruthlessly efficient as they'd wanted us all to believe.
That's a fine statement, but if they were under instructions to keep schtum before - why the hell didn't they say so?
Or were they really just paralysed with indecision and hoping it might all blow over?
Well another sneering hysterical Guardian article.
"Either way, a reckoning is coming. And incidentally, from a storytelling point of view, there is something poetically apt about the nation’s greatest modern sporting success imploding against the backdrop of the past year, as the country is required to define itself anew in the world."
I'm sure there'll be some admonishment of Sky and British cycling over their administrative errors, but as they've been largely addressed that's all it will be. Because there is as yet no evidence that sky riders have actually cheated or broken any rules around PED's.
Pretty sure an outright ban on Corticosteroids will be a good thing, but when Wiggins took them it was legal with his TUE and that was correctly administered and every T crossed and dot doted.
Allegedly.when Wiggins took them it was legal with his TUE and that was correctly administered and every T crossed and dot doted.
Allegedly
Well if you've got any information get yourself down to London. There's a Parliamentary select committee who would love to hear it.
Because there is as yet no evidence that sky riders have actually cheated or broken any rules around PED's.
We are still waiting to hear what was in that jiffy bag, and the failure to provide a satisfactory answer after all this time is suspicious in itself.
Also, the delivery of testosterone patches: of all the possible drugs that could be sent 'by mistake' by a drug company to a cycling team doctor. It looked suspicious as hell at the time, hence Freeman needing to get a letter from the supplier saying it was their mistake to show to the other doctors. (And given the profits earned by drug companies from the sale of drugs used as PEDs in sport, I would not simply accept that letter at face value.)
So there is evidence. It's not conclusive (yet) and it's circumstantial, but it's starting to add up.
Also, the delivery of testosterone patches: of all the possible drugs that could be sent 'by mistake' by a drug company to a cycling team doctor. It looked suspicious as hell at the time, hence Freeman needing to get a letter from the supplier saying it was their mistake to show to the other doctors. (And given the profits earned by drug companies from the sale of drugs used as PEDs in sport, I would not simply accept that letter at face value.)
He'd have to monstrously stupid to have a shipment of PEDs sent to him at the velodrome by BC and Team Sky's regular pharmaceutical supplier.
@slowster. from the link above regarding the jiffy bag and other issues.. You can either believe Sky or not, some people don't for their own reasons or agenda, but at this moment there isn't any "evidence" to suggest this statement isn't true.
"1. POINTS OF CLARIFICATION ON UKAD INVESTIGATION a) Fluimucil
Dr Freeman requested a package be delivered to him after the final stage of the race containing medical supplies from his store in the Manchester Velodrome. The package was brought to France by Simon Cope and given to Dr Freeman at the end of the Dauphiné on 12 June. Dr Freeman told UKAD that the package contained a decongestant called Fluimucil that was to be administered to Bradley Wiggins via nebulizer. According to the evidence given by UKAD, Bradley Wiggins has confirmed that this administration took place. Fluimucil is the brand name for N-acetyl cysteine. Fluimucil is used to break down mucus/catarrh, and commonly used at road races where these issues can be problems for riders, particularly at high altitude and/or in damp conditions. The use of Fluimucil in this way is – as noted by UKAD – fairly common within professional cycling and is completely in line with anti-doping rules. For this purpose Fluimucil is most effectively administered using a 3ml dosage of 10% concentration that is sold in ampoule form and administered via nebulizer. There has been considerable speculation as to why it was necessary to transport the Fluimucil all the way from Manchester when it has been claimed that it is widely available in pharmacies in France. This is a misunderstanding. As the Select Committee was told by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Fluimucil is not licensed for sale in the United Kingdom, in any of its forms. It is our understanding that while Fluimucil is licensed for sale in France, the particular form used by the team (i.e. 3ml, 10% ampoule form for use in a nebulizer) is not available for sale in France, nor to our knowledge was it available for sale in 2011. In addition, since Fluimucil is a prescription medication, Dr Freeman would not have been able to purchase it in France, even if the required form had been available to purchase (which, to our knowledge, it was not), because – according to Dr Freeman – he does not have prescription rights in France. As a result, Team Sky typically ordered Fluimucil from a pharmacy in Munich where Dr Freeman does have prescription rights and where the required form of Fluimucil (i.e. 3ml, 10% ampoule form for use in a nebulizer) is licensed for sale. Any surplus Fluimucil was then stored in Manchester. Team Sky has provided UKAD with the receipts for purchases of Fluimucil from that pharmacy from 2011. There is also an example in records provided to UKAD of Fluimucil being purchased in Switzerland earlier in 2011, where it is also licensed for sale (and Dr Freeman had prescription rights).
b) Medical records
UKAD has reported that it has been unable to find any medical records relating to the treatment of Bradley Wiggins for the eight-day period of the 2011 Dauphiné. As such there are no contemporaneous written notes to confirm the administration of Fluimucil on 12 June. According to Team Sky policy at the time, Dr Freeman (as the race doctor) should have uploaded these
3
records to a shared Dropbox folder. Had this happened, the relevant records could have been made available to UKAD (with the rider’s permission). While Dr Freeman appears to have failed to comply with team policy on this occasion, that does not mean that he kept no medical records at all. We understand that his preferred method of record keeping whilst on the road was to keep notes on his laptop (stored locally). Dr Freeman reported his laptop as stolen in 20141. As a result, UKAD has been unable to confirm what records relating to treatment given at the 2011 Dauphiné were in fact made. While we accept that there are no medical records for this particular rider at this particular race, it is wrong to draw the conclusion that Team Sky has no medical records or that our medical team as a whole have been deficient in their record keeping. On the contrary, it is an area we take very seriously and have sought to strengthen and improve over time. Since its inception, Team Sky has used the online storage system Dropbox for sharing information relating to the riders, as well as for other administration and management information. In 2011 there were nine part-time doctors working for the team. As a way of sharing notes, we encouraged doctors to record information using a folder (with restricted-access) in the Team Sky Dropbox account. This would ensure that any doctor on a race could see the full medical history of any rider. However, some doctors (including Dr Freeman) struggled with the new system and preferred to use their own hard copy and/or electronic notes, sharing information by telephone as appropriate. In 2011 the Team also held fortnightly conference calls between all doctors, led by Head of Medicine, Dr Steve Peters. It is inevitable that some people will adopt new technology more easily and quickly than others. We did, however, take active steps to help all doctors to understand and use the system. This included creating a detailed document explaining: (a) step-by-step how to complete the Excel spreadsheets containing medical information per rider, (b) the information expected to be inputted, and (c) an explanation of how to ensure this was in turn uploaded to Dropbox. We also emailed and highlighted on several minuted calls the requirement for all doctors to use the system. In 2012 we appointed a medical student as an administrative assistant to Dr Freeman. We did not however ask the medical student to go back to update records prior to her starting date (including those relating to the 2011 Dauphiné). Although Team Sky introduced the Dropbox system to improve the co-ordination of our medical practice, it was never intended to be a substitute for each doctor’s own individual record keeping (which they are obliged to comply with under their medical licences, in the case of British-registered doctors those issued by the General Medical Council). Some people have drawn an inference from the events around the 2011 Dauphiné that the team kept no medical notes. This is categorically untrue. It is correct that a small part of the notes for a few riders (including Bradley Wiggins) were not uploaded by Dr Freeman, but there are otherwise full records in Dropbox relating to those riders who were treated by other team doctors and physiotherapists. Since 2011 Team Sky’s medical notes system has developed significantly. Following a review we commissioned a new secure notes system to which the team's doctors, physios and medical
1
Dr Freeman reported his laptop as stolen to Team Sky and British Cycling at the time it happened in 2014. Our records of this have been passed to UKAD. We understand that the laptop was encrypted and subsequently wiped remotely by British Cycling.
4
assistants are required to ensure that information from all sources regarding our riders is uploaded and stored centrally and securely. So while the failure of Dr Freeman to upload his notes from the 2011 Dauphiné to the shared Dropbox system was a regrettable mistake, the team has since put in place comprehensive measures to ensure that such a situation should not occur again.
c) Triamcinolone
During UKAD’s appearance before the Select Committee, the subject of the purchase, storage and use of triamcinolone was raised. Team Sky has provided contextual information to UKAD around the ordering of triamcinolone as part of its investigation. Triamcinolone is a synthetic glucocorticosteroid that can be given by a number of different routes e.g. orally, through inhalation, topically as a cream or by injection. Injections can be given subcutaneously, intra- articular (into joints), intramuscular or around a tendon. It can be used to treat a number of different inflammatory or allergenic conditions and in the prevention of asthma. It is important to note that there is no anti-doping rule violation involved in the purchase or use of triamcinolone. Triamcinolone is only prohibited for use in competition “when administered by oral, intravenous, intramuscular or rectal routes”. Conversely, triamcinolone can be used within anti-doping rules: (1) at any time (i.e. in or out of competition) if it is not administered by one of those routes; and (2) by any route of administration if it is used out-of-competition. It has been subsequently reported in the media that as many as 70 ampoules of triamcinolone were ordered by Team Sky in 2011 alone. This is incorrect. Our records indicate that 55 ampoules of triamcinolone were ordered by Team Sky over a 4-year period between 2010 and 2013. Only a small proportion of this was administered to Team Sky riders. According to Dr Freeman, the majority was used in his private practice and to treat Team Sky and British Cycling staff. It is common in professional cycling for team doctors to provide medical services to staff who require advice or treatment, and this is part of the formal job description for all of our doctors. As well as a general practice, Dr Freeman’s offered non-riders a specialist musculoskeletal practice (having previously been Head of the East Lancashire Muskuloskeletal Medical Service for five years). We understand that triamcinolone is used commonly in that area of medicine in relation to conditions such as inflammation, arthritic joints and tennis elbow, and is administered via an intra-articular injection. While it is not possible for Team Sky to confirm why and when triamcinolone was administered to non-riders (as we would, rightly, not have access to those private medical records), with regard to riders we would only ever allow triamcinolone to be provided as a legitimate and justified medical treatment in accordance with the applicable anti-doping rules.
5
2. THE EVOLUTION OF TEAM SKY’S ANTI-DOPING AND MEDICAL PRACTICES
Our commitment to anti-doping has been a fundamental principle of Team Sky since its inception. Our mission is to race and win clean. Based on the extensive experience of our current doctors we believe that the anti-doping processes and procedures we have in place are comprehensive and robust, and compare favorably with best practice in any sport. As in all areas of the team’s operation, we have sought to refine and strengthen what we do over time. To illustrate this point, we set out below 14 key areas of development in Team Sky’s medical and anti-doping practices since the team’s formation.
1. Medical oversight and governance
The Team Sky medical team consists of doctors, physiotherapists and nutritionists. In the team’s first season (2010) it comprised 6 people in total; by 2016 that had grown to 10. Some members of the team worked for Team Sky full time; others (typically doctors) were part time, contracted for a set number of days per season. Dr Steve Peters was Head of Medical between 2010 and 2012. Dr Peters established a system of oversight and governance. This included a Standard Operating Policy, doctors’ bi-weekly conference calls, daily race email updates, multi-disciplinary meetings, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and shared medical notes via Dropbox (from 2011). The composition, structure and governance of the medical team has evolved over time as challenges were encountered and the demands of Team Sky changed. The key changes are set out below.
2. Standardised medical ordering and software
Originally, ordering was done centrally across both British Cycling and Team Sky. As the number of doctors increased and the needs of the organisation became more complex, it was decided that stricter policies and monitoring were required. From 2014 all medication orders by individual doctors have been screened by one senior doctor and our financial controller. The standardised medication list is reviewed annually and certain medications (such as pain medication) have clear usage guidelines that all doctors are expected to adhere to. In 2017 the team will shortly begin using a new electronic medicine management system, which provides greater accountability and an audit trail from order to dispensing.
3. Creation and annual review of medical policies
Each year the medical team reviews its policies, updating and adding to them as required. Those policies include: • Rider consent to internal sharing of medical information (signed annually); • Doctor Standard Operating Policy, including adherence to working with “GMC Good
Practice “ guidelines (signed annually); • Physiotherapy Standard Operating Policy (signed annually); • Carers Standard Operating Policy (signed annually); • Antibiotics Policy; • Iron Supplementation Policy;
6
• Heat and Cold Policy; • Analgesic Prescribing Policy; • TUE Policy; • Annual Medication Standardised List.
4. Standardising of rider medical information collation and sharing
Procedures have been put in place to ensure that all data and information regarding rider health is seen by the medical team and safely stored. This includes:
• Twice monthly Rider Conference Calls, with all medical staff invited, and selected
performance staff which are minuted and acted on; • Rider/Doctor/Coach groups, which are predetermined at the beginning of the season and give a strong axis for medical, health and performance discussions.
• Each doctor being allocated an appropriate amount of non-race time each month to update notes, speak to riders and staff and provide safe and effective care off race;
• Weekly medical update sheet sent to the coaches for weekly performance calls;
• Daily race medical and performance notes made and shared with all relevant staff and updated in medical notes as appropriate; • All external consultations and investigations are seen, acted on and filed; • Significant events are recorded and discussed with peers and learnings are shared; • Monthly medical updates are sent out to senior management team and all medical staff
concerning rider summaries and any issues or policy changes are noted; • Annual rider comprehensive screening camps are organised and documented; • Bi-annual medical update meetings are organised for all medical staff, including CPD.
5. Appointment of a full-time Compliance Officer
In 2013 Team Sky appointed a Compliance Officer to ensure oversight of the team’s policies and processes regarding anti-doping to enable them to be as robust as possible in areas such as rider recruitment. This position was, we believe, unique within professional cycling at the time. The Compliance Officer plays a crucial development role working with riders, doctors and staff to implement the team’s anti-doping policies and ensure best practice across the team. The Compliance Officer also provides regular reports to the Team Sky Board.
6. Appointment of a Medical Assistant
The team now employs a Medical Assistant (reporting to a senior doctor) whose role is to help facilitate, maintain and organise medical administration such as meetings, tests and results, minutes and action points, filing of data etc. The Medical Assistant also has responsibility for maintenance of the GMC-compliant medical notes system Cycling Squad and ensuring all medical data and notes are updated and filed correctly.
7. Doctor CPD and annual GMC compliance checks
All doctors have Diplomas in Sports Medicine or the Spanish equivalent and receive annual trauma training and appraisals performed outside the Team (e.g. by the NHS), which assesses the quality and content of their clinical and written work within the team. In addition, we provide an annual budget for doctors to seek external CPD in areas of interest of benefit to the team, such as ultrasound diagnostics or cardiopulmonary resus.
7
For each doctor, annual compliance with GMC registration, Medical Defence Insurance Cover and Hepatits B status is checked annually by our Team Compliance Officer and Medical Assistant.
8. Advanced rider background checks
Staff and rider recruitment checks have been continually strengthened. As well as a review of historic Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) data for riders, we began performing extended background checks, including a standard check of CVs to identify gaps, the history of any teams that riders and staff had previously worked with, or association with any individuals with a history of doping. In 2012 we also enshrined our zero-tolerance policy by requiring all riders and staff – both existing and new – to sign an “Anti-Doping Commitment Statement”, which sets out the team’s anti-doping policies in full and the agreed adherence to these. No rider or staff member can be a part of Team Sky without having signed this Commitment.
9. The Team Sky Anti-Doping Working Group
In 2014 we created the Team Sky Anti-Doping Working Group, comprising senior management, performance and medical staff. The group was established in order to review regularly all policies and processes relating to anti-doping activity and ensure best practice; share knowledge and perspectives on all practices with an impact on anti-doping policy; help riders minimise the chance of accidental violations relating to whereabouts and supplement use.
The Anti-Doping Working Group continues to be a central part of our ongoing commitment to anti-doping. With a growing remit, the Group meets regularly to review of our existing policies and continuously looks at all areas where the way we work can be improved.
10. Rider education initiatives
Rider education is taken very seriously as part of our commitment to anti-doping. We host regular presentations for riders on compliance and best practice in these areas. We provide riders with Out-of-Competition Guidelines in order to avoid whereabouts filing failures or missed tests. Riders are required to take their responsibilities towards filing details seriously and the team advises them on practical measures they can take to avoid potential issues with Out-of-Competition Whereabouts. ABP “best practice” cards have been produced in various languages and circulated to riders, providing guidance on their responsibilities when providing blood samples for testing.
11. UKAD accreditation
Since 2015, all Anti-Doping Working Group members and team doctors have been encouraged to undertake UKAD’s Accredited Advisor course. This is to help ensure that our approach to informing riders and support staff about the values of clean sport and important anti-doping information is consistent with UKAD’s approach. Half of the group have already completed the course and the rest will do so this year.
12. Performance monitoring
Riders are expected to record and upload data after every ride or race as part of their schedule, which is then reviewed daily by the coaching team. This data - and metrics such as power output
8
and weight - are used to track performance and also analysed as part of our anti-doping monitoring programme.
13. Whistleblowing Policy
Given the history of doping in road cycling, we wanted to introduce an effective internal policy that would give staff and riders a safe environment within which to raise any concerns they had, including around suspicions of involvement in doping. The Whistleblowing Policy, which we introduced in 2014, makes clear that Team Sky will not tolerate any harassment or victimisation of a whistle-blower and that any such behaviour would be treated as a serious disciplinary offence. A key element underpinning the policy is that any concerns raised would be treated in a confidential and sensitive manner and that, providing it would not hinder or frustrate any investigation, the identity of the whistle-blower would be kept confidential.
14. Independent Medical Governance Officer
As part of our efforts to further strengthen our internal processes and systems and the overall quality of our medical care, we will be appointing a new Medical Governance Officer in the coming weeks. The Medical Governance Officer will work independently and report directly to the Team Sky Board, whilst also working with and advising Senior Management and the Medical Team. The Medical Governance Officer will initially be tasked with leading a review of our existing policies with the current medical team to ensure that they follow best practice and to identify any areas which need further work.
Team Sky, March 2017 "
2 / 8
[img] 
[/img]
He'd have to monstrously stupid to have a shipment of PEDs sent to him at the velodrome by BC and Team Sky's regular pharmaceutical supplier.
Managing the funding of purchasing PEDs and the medical know how to use them most effectively is probably a bigger difficulty for dopers and doping teams than avoiding failing a drug test.
US Postal Service apparently used to sell many of the bikes supplied by Trek to provide 'off the books' funding for their doping.
If we assumed for the sake of hypothesis that Sky were doping, it might be easier for them to get PEDs from their normal pharmaceutical supplier, especially if such purchases could be concealed within all their other purchases. So for every 10 packs of Triamcinolone bought, they get a free box of testosterone patches.
As for monstrously stupid, if people get away with wrong doing for a lengthy period, I think they can start to think they'll never get caught and become careless. Alternatively, the mistake might have been made by the supplier, who was supposed to send that particular package to Freeman at a different address.
You can either believe Sky or not, some people don't for their own reasons or agenda, but at this moment there isn't any "evidence" to suggest this statement isn't true.
There really isn't any [i]evidence[/i] to prove it's true either (no records and the dog ate my laptop). Which is kind of the point. And if this is true why all the lies about it being for Emma Pooley and SBW having left already. Quite frankly, it's just not good enough.
Keep drinking the Koolaid brother... 😉
I find the lack of oversight of the medical 'support' for a team that claims to be whiter than white (bearing in mind this is where historically any doping happens) incredulous. They are taking the piss, this where you start FFS! Everything else fails if you **** this up.
You can either believe Sky or not, some people don't for their own reasons or agenda
That cuts both ways doesn't it? Lots of Armstrong fans could not bear to accept the evidence against him until he himself finally admitted he had doped.
the longer this goes on the worse it looks for them
I do not think we have a smoking gun but we do seem to be in no smoke without fire territory now and they no longer have my unswerving support as its just to much dodgy stuff and benefit of the doubt stuff
It just all seems a bit to US postal
Whether this is a legacy of lance that I am to suspicious or whether it's because they are cheats I dnt know for sure
Whether this is a legacy of lance that I am to suspicious
people have been waiting for years for something like this to happen to Sky. you only have to look at the comments sections on Cycling News to see the conjecture from the trolls and frothy-mouths to see that. look what they did to Lizzie Armistead with her missed tests.
I personally think this is a witch-hunt.
whether I'm right or wrong, either way it's embarrasing for the sport and all that surrounds it. and that is the real shame because it is a magnificent sport with truly exceptional athletes.
people have been waiting for years for something like this to happen to Sky.
Yeah, because some of us don't think cycling has really changed all that much and are fed up to the back teeth of the sky bullshit. Tell me, were [i]you[/i] not pleased when Lance was exposed?
Do you think Lance and Wiggo are on an equal level of cheatiness Metalheart?
I personally think this is a witch-hunt.
Well, yeah, it is
... the question is why everyone at sky [b][u]seems[/u][/b] to have a warty nose and a broomstick
was legal with his TUE and that was correctly administered and every T crossed and dot doted
Except there are no correctly dotted i"s or crossed t's because they don't have any records because the laptop was stolen (and they'd had 3 years to download it).
Taxi25 you seem happy with their rebuttal. I have a couple of issues with it;
It's full of qualifiers "we understand" and "we believe" which completely undermine the associated statements.
It again peddles explanations that are demonstrably BS. They had to fly the flumicil out as Freeman doesn't have prescription rights in France. BZZT wrong again - prescriptions written in an EU member state are valid EU wide, it's the first line on the relevant EU website FFS and a team that competes all over the world will know this.
So that's now 3 'alternative fact' explanations for the jiffy bag (Pooley, Wiggins not there to receive it).
Also, why are Sky/BC buying and storing prescription drugs for Freeman to use in his private practice?
Except there are no correctly dotted i"s or crossed t's because they don't have any records because the laptop was stolen (and they'd had 3 years to download it).
I think you'll find Wiggins TUE's are all above board and documented. The missing laptop refers to other issues.
Yes I do accept Sky's statement "at this point". But I'm not going to far out on a limb. Where obsessed highly motivated people are concerned nothing suprises me.
Individually, none of the incidents in this saga are particularly heinous. A missing record here, a stolen laptop there etc. The problem for me is that we are being asked to believe the best of Sky in a whole series of events - which are starting to look like a pattern IMO.
You could easily argue the reverse, if they were truly dodgy their 'record keeping' would be a lot better for a ready made alibi (or even to throw the pet doctor to the wolves)
Do you think Lance and Wiggo are on an equal level of cheatiness Metalheart?
Nope, thems was different days. After all, US Postal was apparently the most sophisticated fraud in sporting history... 😆
Blood profile does reign in excesses plus LA was a total vindictive arsehole. And LA 'won' 7 TDF's...
You could easily argue the reverse, if they were truly dodgy their 'record keeping' would be a lot better for a ready made alibi (or even to throw the pet doctor to the wolves)
Or, you could just not record [i]anything[/i] and then get a third party as drug mule... But then that would be a sophisticated doping regime... 😉
Remember, nobody was expecting to be quizzed on this. Its a retrospective enquiry years after the event. Why leave a trail for someone to unpick later? Problem is that the details crawling out of the woodwork are uncomfortable and there's nothing concrete to refute them with... Strange that, for a team dedicated to being clean, a complete lack of medical records... Astounding in fact.
It's almost as if it was all a façade and they only wanted to [i]appear[/i] to be doing the 'right' thing... saying one thing and doing another.
Remember, nobody was expecting to be quizzed on this. Its a retrospective enquiry years after the event. Why leave a trail for someone to unpick later?
Indeed. Remember that the Sky team were formed, Wiggins joined them, and Freeman and Geert Leinders were employed all before Armstrong was finally busted by USADA.
At that time, it probably seemed to most people involved in professional cycling that you still had to dope to compete/win and that the risks of getting caught were low, despite changes such as the introduction of blood passports.
A Tour win for Sky and Wiggins at that stage was still only a dream, and they could never have imagined the level of success and financial rewards that they and Sky would go on to achieve, and the subsequent levels of scrutiny they would later come under.
So at that stage, they would not have been thinking about faking records etc. as a precaution against the day several years later when a House of Commons committee and the media started asking awkward questions about a jiffy bag sent many years ago.
The trick to any conspiracy is to keep the numbers involved as small as possible*, rather than engage in a major effort to create false records, which is itself highly dangerous because those records are then another thing which will be closely scrutinised for any error or evidence of fraud: better to have no records than fake records which can be proven to be fake.
(* It's interesting that Freeman had responsibility for all pharmaceutical purchases by Sky, as well as being Wiggins' personal doctor in the team.)
You could easily argue the reverse, if they were truly dodgy their 'record keeping' would be a lot better for a ready made alibi (or even to throw the pet doctor to the wolves)
Between the "truly corrupt" and the saintly are about fifty shades of grey. At best that's where Sky are operating, which is not what they claim to be about.
I think you'll find Wiggins TUE's are all above board and documented. The missing laptop refers to other issues.
fair enough, but I'm deliberately conflating the issues because, thanks to the lack of records, we only have their word for it that the contents of the jiffy bag, administered to Wiggins on a race day, were Flumicil covered by a (above board and documented) TUE. Sapstead has raised the suspicion it was triamcinolone, and as The Cycling Podcast pointed out that would be an outright doping offence, with a 2 year ban which would annul the next 2 years results, which includes the Tour win and Olympic TT gold.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/mar/10/british-cycling-dave-brailsford-reputation-in-tatters-review
The bit about the BC Board basically rewriting the grievance complaint outcome on Jess Varnish is gob-smacking, And Sutton being paid more than his salary to be on 'gardening leave'... car crash stuff. VERY UNFAIR, erm, not.
Who the hell are the British Cycling board members? Who appoints them? Surely they've all got to go after this?
Also listened to the Cycling Podcast last night and thought it was a fair take on the Sky scenario without any of the odd spitefulness that's characterised a lot of the media coverage. I find Richard Moore's voice oddly soothing. 😳
Also, if you dig deeper, it's apparent that the grievance officer who compiled the Varnish report is a woman. Her findings were then reversed by a -mostly - male board. Classy.
Also listened to the Cycling Podcast last night and thought it was a fair take on the Sky scenario without any of the odd spitefulness that's characterised a lot of the media coverage. I find Richard Moore's voice oddly soothing.
I listened to this last night too. Tellingly these extremely well-connected journos don't seem to have any more clue than the rest of us as to what's actually happened.
I think it was my man crush Lionel Birnie who voiced my own thoughts better than I have here: It's not a question of Sky being totally morally in the black or white - it's how far into the grey they went.
And if some of the explanations really were that simple why are they only saying now?
Still sticking with my initial hunch that Wiggo did bend the rules with his corticosteroids and they were a bit cheeky with the tramadol - but I doubt it goes much further than that.
Well, without a whistleblower this will come to nothing.
Wiggo will retain his titles, SDB will probably leave Sky after the TDF & Froome possibly too.
Sky will continue under new leadership & I imagine G will probably become the principal rider.
Reading this [url=2017/03/interview-paul-kimmage-team-skys]Kimmage[/url] makes me realise that a year back I'd have expected DB to meet this head on and be very public in doing so. I'm no longer harbouring that expectation....
your link breaks the internet.
Drat, tried again. Won't be news to those following the saga but I just stumbled across it.
[url= https://cyclingtips.com/2017/03/interview-paul-kimmage-team-skys-charade-exposed/ ]Kimmage[/url]
Froome's new statement being widely reported as "speaks out in support of Dave B", except he doesn't.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/39254063
Sounds to me like he's failed to get team captains seat at another team so decided to speak in support of Brailsford.
Rachel
Rachel, I read between the lines in the same way Dan Roan did, and Froome doesn't actually come out supporting him. He says DB is crucial to TS, which may be true given Murdoch has backed DB, he thanks DB for his previous support, and then it's all waffle about winning back trust blah blah. None of the "he has my full support" "I'm 110% behind him" that the other riders have come out with. It all seems a bit carefully worded - at first glance he's finally stepped up to support him, except not really.
It all seems a bit carefully worded
I dunno, if his real intention is not to support Brailsford, then it seems to have backfired on him because most of the media thinks he has... 😉
He's probably recognising that they have to work together.
Though it's not Davey B who's gonna get cups of wee thrown at him, probably.