Sutton in dark over mystery package

THE man who mentored Sir Bradley Wiggins as head coach of Team Sky has said he too does not know what was in the medical package at the centre of a UK Anti-Doping investigation. Shane Sutton’s future will become clearer this week when an internal inquiry is concluded into allegations of discrimination that led to his resignation as British Cycling’s technical director in April. Sutton yesterday came out in support of his former employers and Wiggins. But in a BBC interview he became the latest official to deny any knowledge of the package delivered by British Cycling coach Simon Cope to the end of the 2011 Dauphine Libere race Wiggins had just won. While British Cycling have confirmed it contained medication, both the governing body and Team Sky have declined to say what the medication was. Asked what was in the package, Sutton said: ‘I can’t elaborate on that because I’ve not had a discussion with the person who sent the package. I don’t know what was in the package. There’s an ongoing investigation and it would be unfair to comment. This happened years ago. If someone had asked what was in the package there and then, they would have opened it up.’ Asked to comment more broadly on the controversy, Sutton revealed he had been interviewed by UKAD investigators. ‘I don’t know too much about the whole story. I’ve had a chat with UK Anti-Doping. But we need to let it run its course and publish the findings. From a clean cycling perspective (Team Sky principal) Dave Brailsford has been a real enforcer of it but let’s let the truth come out and move on.’ Along with sports scientist Tim Kerrison, Sutton was a member of the coaching staff who masterminded Wiggins’ Tour de France win in 2012 — since tarnished by leaked medical records revealing Wiggins applied for an exemption to use a powerful corticosteroid called triamcinolone before the race. Although Sportsmail understands Kerrison was unaware of Wiggins’ triamcinolone use until hackers published the therapeutic use exemption (TUE) certificates, Sutton would have known. Sutton said he was sorry to see British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake resign. ‘Probably the timing is not great as far as the announcement is concerned,’ said Sutton. He believes those concerned will be ‘exonerated’ by the investigation.