he is talking about internal French team politics/team selection there and not UK cycling nor the sprinters
No idea what he is talking about but it not team UK
While Gané and D’Almeida are unable to put their finger on how the British are so strong when it really matters, the latter hinted at discord within the French camp, with the nation underwhelming this year after a glittering home Worlds in 2015.
“Decisions were taken and choices were made too late. We’d like to always have things in place earlier, but we have a different system to them, and that frustrates us a bit. The result is not only about the delays – it’s the whole atmosphere, too, the personnel around us. That’s my personal opinion,” said D’Almeida.
Asked to expand, the eight-time World Championships medallist remained cagey but appeared to criticise members of staff who’ve worked over the latest Olympic cycle. The French have had significant upheaval in the sprint camp over the past four years, with Florian Rousseau leaving in 2012, and his replacement Justin Grace lasting a year and now tasting success with GB. There was an interim in Franck Durivaux before Gané took over at the end of 2014.
“I can’t tell you everything,” said D’Almeida. “There’s no anger. I’m fully satisfied with the preparation we’ve done since arriving. Hats off to the staff present here – they’ve done their jobs perfectly. What’s overwhelming my thoughts is not just what happened this evening, but everything that has happened these past two, three, four years. In my eyes, there are things we need to revisit. It’s…I risk saying too much. There are people who, thankfully, aren’t at Rio – they didn’t have the right to come – but they inflicted damage. That has to be sorted out.”
