PORTE BLASTS SKY’S TOUR TREATMENT
RICHIE Porte is fuming about the treatment of his old squad Team Sky at the Tour de France, saying fan behaviour was disgusting and an absolute disgrace.
He is also critical of the media commentary around the team’s well- documented problems, wondering out loud how some prominent ex- riders would have gone if they were subject to modernday doping controls.
Chris Froome’s controversial salbutamol investigation meant heightened sentiment against the power- ful Sky team at this year’s Tour. Froome was cleared a few days before the start of his title defence. The fourtime champion finished third overall behind teammate Geraint Thomas, who won the Tour for the first time.
There were several incidents involving fans, plenty of booing and team boss Sir Dave Brailsford had a running war of words with UCI president David Lappartient.
Porte crashed out at the start of stage nine with a broken collarbone and watched the Tour at home on TV.
“Watching, it was an absolute disgrace,” he said. “Some of the media, they need to take a little more responsibility for what they print.
“Some of these commentators saying things about Chris and Team Sky — if the controls we have now were around when they were riding, maybe they would have different ( career results).
“It’s everyone’s right to an opinion, but why turn up to a bike race to assault and spit on people? That’s just disgusting.”