The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Sutton view in cycling dope probe
Former British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton is confident Team Sky and the national governing body have nothing to hide amid an ongoing investigation by UK Anti-Doping.
A furore has erupted over the decision to seek permission for Sir Bradley Wiggins to use triamcinolone. UKAD is investigating allegations of wrongdoing in cycling, over a package delivered to Team Sky at the end of the Criterium du Dauphine stage race, won by Wiggins in June 2011. Team Sky denies wrongdoing.
Sutton, who left his role 100 days prior to this summer’s Olympics amid allegations of discrimination which he denies, has complete faith in both Wiggins and Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford.
The Australian, Wiggins’ long-time mentor, said: “Our record at British Cycling speaks for itself. Our record at (Team) Sky is brilliant. They’ve endorsed clean cycling from day one. The evidence will come out and I’m sure that they’ll be exonerated.” Olympic athlete Andrew Butchart anchored Central AC as the club won the senior men’s title for the fifth year in a row in the Scottish cross-country relay championships at Cumbernauld on Saturday, while Aberdeen AAC achieved a podium position for the first time in 35 years by finishing third.
There was a record turnout of competitors for the event, with no shortage of quality on show across all the races.
Butchart, who set a Scottish record when finishing sixth in the 5,000metres in Rio, ran the fourth and final 4kmleg for his club and coasted to victory with an individual lap time of 11min 22sec.
He said: “It was good to win it again. That’s five in a row for Central AC and I know it means a lot to the coaches and the club to keep being the dominant force at crosscountry.
“I had the glory leg this time and happily the runners before mehad it set up so well that I just had to get round safely.
“Michael Wright really had an excellent run on the second leg which made a big impact on the race and Jamie Crowe and Alastair Hay also did well.
“I love racing atCumbernauld and I l ove crosscountry. The bottom line is, the things we did last year worked perfectly for me ahead of Rio so it is a case of trying to do the same again and then see if I can go even quicker on the track next summer.”
Another of Scotland’s Olympians, Call um Hawkins, who was ninth in the marathon at Rio, was also in action, helping Kilbarchan AAC to a top-10
He said: “I went off pretty fast a nd it was a shock to the system in many way s after marathons and ha l f marathons.
“I’ve not done any cross-country training at all. But I’ve got my eye on Liverpool and the Euro cross.
“It’s a couple of years since I was at that and it’s something I want to do this year.
“Myself and Andy are off to the Pyrenees for a full month of altitude training and we will come back just before the start of the European trials.” Aberdeen have never won the men’s title in Scottish cross-country relay championships, the club’s best efforts being team silver medals in 1979 and 1981.
While the first victory remains elusive, the Aberdeen quartet of Rory Muir, Michael Ferguson, Will Mackay and Broc Drury performed exceptionally well at Cumbernauld to secure the bronze medals.
Central AC’s quartet wereout of sightwhenwinning in 47:19, while Edinburgh University took second position in 48:43, 11sec ahead of Aberdeen, who in turn held off a fast-finishing Shettleston side which finished a further 10sec behind.
Muir, who clocked 12:32, was 15th at the end of the opening stage but Ferguson hauled his team into medal contention on lap two with one of the quickest times of the day, 11:46.
Scottish 10,000m track champion Mackay consolidated third position with a time of 12:33, while Drury completed the job on the final stage by clocking 12:13.
Drury, who had been a doubt ahead of the race because of a back injury, was delighted with the outcome. He said: “I heard the club hadn’t won a medal in this event for such a long time, so it’s pretty good we’ve done it.
“Rory did wellonthe first stage then Michael had a stormingrunonthe second leg to bring us right up into the top three. Will kept us there, then it was left to me. At one point I thought I was gaining on the runner in second but then he pulled away again. I was also aware the Shettleston runner behind me was closing and, although I was hurting a lot, there was no way I was going to let anyone overtake me.”
“I had the glory leg and happily the runners before me had it set up so well that I just had to get round”