Anger over Wiggins snub
Abu Dhabi count cost of withdrawal — as he misses Olympic party
SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS has been accused of snubbing a race in Abu Dhabi that it is claimed he was contracted to ride in. The under-fire cyclist is at the centre of a UK Anti-Doping investigation following Sportsmail’s revelations concerning a mystery medical package ordered by Team Sky in June 2011. Initial reports, apparently based on information from Team Wiggins, suggested he never had next week’s race in his schedule. But the organisers said: ‘Wiggins (was) in the provisional entry list. Flights and accommodation have been booked.’
SIR BRADLEY WIGGINS found himself at the centre of fresh controversy yesterday when he was accused of pulling out of a race he was contracted to take part in next week.
Organisers of the Abu Dhabi Tour insisted Wiggins had withdrawn from a four-day race and issued a statement yesterday after initial reports — apparently based on information from Team Wiggins — suggested that the 2012 Tour de France winner never had the race in his schedule.
That forced the Abu Dhabi race organisers to defend the fact they had built their advertising campaign around Wiggins, insisting his name was on the provisional team list supplied by Team Wiggins.
This was confirmed last night by the press officer Manolo Bertocchi, although he insisted Wiggins and the race organisers were not now locked in a contractual dispute.
It was also reported last night that Wiggins will snub the celebrations of Britain’s success at the Rio Olympic Games next week.
Wiggins — who won his fifth gold in the summer to become Britain’s most decorated Olympian with eight medals — has reportedly not accepted an invitation to take part in either the parade in Manchester on Monday or Tuesday’s event in Trafalgar Square.
Wiggins’ representative said he doubted the cyclist would attend, adding that he needs to train for the Six Day London event which starts on October 25.
But clearly, Wiggins and his team thought better of attending the race in Abu Dhabi while he remains at the centre of a UK Anti-Doping investigation into allegations of wrongdoing, in particular in relation to Sportsmail’s revelation that a mystery medical package was ordered by Team Sky in June 2011 for the end of a race that Wiggins had just won.
Angered by Wiggins’ withdrawal, the Abu Dhabi Tour’s statement read: ‘The Abu Dhabi Tour... wish to share this clarification of the issues surrounding Sir Bradley Wiggins’ contracted appearance at the second edition of the fourstage road race, 20-23 October.
‘Before the first announcement (20 September) we received the approval from Team Wiggins to communicate the presence of Wiggins at the upcoming Tour.
‘Last week the Official Enrolment Form was submitted by a Team Wiggins official with the name of Bradley Wiggins included in the provisional entry list.
‘In addition, as is usual practice for a major race, flights and accommodation have been booked in the name of Wiggins and those accompanying him. The race organisers are surprised and disappointed to see different stories in the media regarding Wiggins and the Tour.
‘It is important to clarify that the long- standing expectation has been that Sir Bradley will be riding the Tour, and that all operations by the race owner, race organiser and its representatives and agents have been based on that expectation in good faith.’
Bertocchi confirmed last night that Wiggins would not be racing, which may come as a relief to some senior figures in the sport hoping for an end to the controversy and aware of the negative publicity his participation might have attracted.
Wiggins, Team Sky and British Cycling insist they have done nothing wrong, but astonishing comments made by the president of the International Cycling Union, Brian Cookson, have not helped.
Prominent figures in the sport are stunned that Cookson has been so dismissive of the crisis engulfing British Cycling when he launched his presidency by ordering a report into doping in cycling.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: ‘Things come and go and the world’s media entourage take an interest in one thing then another and then things move on.’
As one former British Cycling official pointed out yesterday, Cookson was the president of British Cycling when the mystery parcel containing medication was couriered by British Cycling coach Simon Cope to La Toussuire in France on June 12, 2011.
In fact, at that time Cookson was also a member of the operating board of Team Sky, which was a liaison body between British Cycling and the owners of Team Sky, Tour Racing Limited.
Also, Cookson’s son worked for Team Sky, while the son of the then president of the UCI — Pat McQuaid — is now the general manager of Team Wiggins.