Brailsford’s fury as rivals ramp up Sky skin-suit row
Athe Vortex skin suits worn by team sky in saturday’s time trial remain central to a discussion that is fast becoming a major row between the biggest teams.
sir Dave Brailsford came out fighting yesterday, accusing sky’s rivals of complacency and bitterness while reminding them that the race jury had already declared the pimples on the sleeves of their suits legal.
not everyone, however, was prepared to leave it there, arguing last night that sky have taken advantage of a UCi rule that is less than clear.
the regulation states that nothing can be ‘added’ to a garment and sky think they have stayed on the right side of the law by making the pimples part of the suit.
Fred grappe, head of performance at the FDJ team, had already complained that it was giving the sky riders who occupied four of the top eight places in Dusseldorf an unfair advantage — by his estimation, around 15 seconds for the 14km route.
in an interview with itV, he stated that the race commissaires were ‘clearly very bothered’. grappe added: ‘We simply asked for a clarification of the rules, because there is no scope for little aerodynamic elements. if we had known we could add aerodynamic elements, we would have done that.’
Jim Ochowicz, manager of the BMC team that includes Froome’s biggest rival, Richie Porte, added his voice to the debate last night, insisting: ‘it’s not over. the UCi is looking at it. there is confusion.’ Asked if sky would be able to wear the suits again in what could be a decisive final time trial on stage 20, Ochowicz said: ‘it’s an active discussion.’
Brailsford will not be amused, judging by his mood yesterday morning. ‘it is surprising they raise it three months after we started racing with it,’ he said. ‘if they have only noticed in the tour de France, i’d be asking them what the hell they are doing. go and get your house in order, shape up a bit and then we can talk. We know the rules inside out. We get things checked.’
such a response is unlikely to win sky too many friends, but after just three stages they are very much the team to be shot at, with Brailsford agreeing that his riders are enjoying their best start to a tour.
A mile-long climb at close to six per cent was the punishing conclusion to an undulating stage that even included the steep gradients of the spa-Francorchamps motor racing circuit, and in the end Peter sagan possessed enough power to hold off the world’s finest climbers.
But thomas and Froome were among the leading group of some 29 riders and that propelled the three-times champion to second overall behind thomas.
Brailsford even suggested yesterday that sky might now attempt to defend the leader’s jersey for the rest of the race. testing uphill finish was all Chris Froome needed to join geraint thomas in the top two at this year’s tour de France — but off the bike, too, a situation was escalating.