Abuse is a ‘French thing’: Sky
TEAM Sky boss Dave Brailsford has poured petrol on the fan behaviour flames, claiming hostility at this year’s Tour de France is a “French cultural thing”.
Sky has been booed and jeered, while Chris Froome has been spat at and pushed by a spectator on the Stage 12 climb up Alpe d’Huez.
The tension surrounding the team stems from four-time Tour champ Froome’s salbutamol case, which was given the allclear by WADA on the eve of the race.
But Brailsford, speaking at a rest day press conference, had no intention of trying to calm the situation, blaming the host nation for the aggression.
“It’s interesting. We raced in Italy and Chris’s case was open when we were at the Tour of Italy and the Italians were fantastic. The Spanish, fantastic. It just seems to be a French thing,” he said.
“It’s like a French cultural thing really, isn’t it? That’s it. I’m not sure that they would have liked their football players spat at in Russia (at the World Cup). I’m sure that there would be a word or two about that. But it’s OK to spit on us and our staff.”
Brailsford raised the name of a young staff member, who was intimidated driving around France as a Sky employee.
“To be spat at . . . personally, I’d have a bit of an issue if that was going on in my country. But we’ll carry on,” he said.
And with the race set to return to the mountains with a string of tests in the Pyrenees, Brailsford is not expecting the hostility to let up.
“I don’t think it’s going to stop. I’m not too optimistic on that front,” he said.
“It’s challenging, we accept it, and we just have to make a decision as to how to behave. We’re trying to remain dignified.”
His insistence his team would race with dignity came only a day after Team Sky rider Gianni Moscon was booted out of the Tour for swinging a fist at rival rider, Elie Gesbert.
The fact Gesbert is French will further sour Sky’s poor reputation with the locals.
“Probably. It’s not going to calm people down,” Brailsford said.
“But I’d ask them to calm down. At the end of the day . . . the Tour de France is promoted as the world’s greatest annual sporting event and if that’s what you want to host and you want the best international riders to come and take part in an international event then maybe treat them with a bit more respect.
“This isn’t something new. This is just part of the Tour de France.”
When asked why, as one of 17 non-French teams in the race, Sky was the only one to attract hostility, he said: “They’re not winning, though, are they?”