CYCLING IN NEW DOPING CRISIS
Doctor’s guilty verdict casts huge shadow on British success story
BRITISH cycling was plunged into crisis after former Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman was found guilty of ordering testosterone intended to help a rider cheat.
Freeman’s evidence was branded “dishonest” after more than two years of a Medical
Practitioners Tribunal, while his conduct was “incapable of innocent explanation”.
Freeman, who was also chief doctor for British Cycling, claimed he had been bullied into ordering the testosterone to treat former performance director Shane Sutton’s erectile dysfunction, which the Australian coach, right, vigorously denied on an explosive day of testimony in 2019.
Freeman admitted 18 of 22 charges relating to the delivery of Testogel to British Cycling in 2011, and his attempt to cover it up, but denied the allegation about its purpose. While no riders are accused of wrongdoing, and Freeman faces a new UK Anti-Doping investigation, the verdict reflects poorly on British Cycling, Team Sky (now Ineos Grenadiers) and their “marginal gains” culture. Sutton gave a measured but damning reaction, saying: “This episode has cast a huge shadow over the success we enjoyed. I’d like to stress neither I nor [Ineos principal] Sir Dave Brailsford knew about the testosterone order. But it’s important to find out who the doctor ordered it for.”
British Cycling chief executive Brian Facer said: “The wider actions of Dr Freeman described in the tribunal fall a mile short of the standards we expect.”