HOW SKY WHEELS FELL OFF: SIX YEARS OF TROUBLE . . .

OCTOBER 2012 HAVING trumpeted a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to doping, Team Sky part company with a number of staff — including sporting director Sean Yates — in the face of a number of doping claims, including working with doctor Geert Leinders, who was banned for life by doping agencies. JUNE 2014 CHRIS FROOME is embroiled in a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) storm after it emerges he had a medical note to use a corticosteroid during the Tour of romandie. JULY 2015 THE Daily Mail and two other newspapers reveal that Peter verbeken, who worked closely with Lance Armstrong, is employed to run the Team Sky service centre in Belgium. He remains in the position today. SEPTEMBER 2016 THE Fancy Bears reveal Sir Bradley Wiggins used triamcinolone, a powerful corticosteroid with a history of abuse in cycling, before his last three Grand Tours, including the 2012 Tour de France he won. OCTOBER 2016 THE Daily Mail reveal that UK AntiDoping are investigating the delivery of a package ordered by Dr richard Freeman for Wiggins for a race in France. Team Sky head honcho Sir Dave Brailsford’s explanations to explain the package are inaccurate. MARCH 2017 AFTER a parliamentary hearing when British Cycling and Team Sky admit they cannot say what was in the package, MPs say the reputation of British Cycling and Team Sky is ‘in tatters’. The Sunday Times reveal there was a delivery of testosterone patches in 2011 to the national Cycling Centre in Manchester — home to British Cycling and Team Sky. Dr Steve Peters tells the paper that Dr Freeman said they were sent in error and Brailsford was not told. OCTOBER 2017 FREEMAN quits as doctor of British Cycling as questions remain over the delivery of the testosterone patches, when he was working for Team Sky and British Cycling. The patches are now the subject of an investigation by UK Anti-Doping and the General Medical Council. NOVEMBER 2017 THE Daily Mail reveal that British Cycling intend to part company with their medical supplier after BC claim they refused to respond to questions about the patches. DECEMBER 2017 NEWS emerges that Chris Froome had an adverse analytical finding for asthma drug salbutamol from a urine sample given at the vuelta A Espana in September. He is later cleared. MARCH 2018 THE Daily Mail report that the testosterone patches were ordered to the national Cycling Centre in 2011. A parliamentary report accuses Team Sky of ‘crossing an ethical line’ with the use of medical exemptions. NOVEMBER 2018 THE Daily Mail reveals there are concerns at Team Sky and British Cycling about GMC investigation into Freeman. Freeman is due to appear at a hearing in February 2019. DECEMBER 2018 SKY pull the plug after 10 years as principal owners and sponsors.