Raw hide key to Tour goals
WHEN falling off a bike at high speed is an occupational hazard, it helps to have a thick skin.
And no one has a tougher hide than Team Sky.
Widely loathed by French cycling fans, a cloud still hangs over them following Chris Froome’s controversial clearance after being found with excessive levels of salbutamol in his system.
But do they remain relentless, a tour de force in the Tour de France? They certainly do. The controversies of recent years means Sir Dave Brailsford (left) might not be as feted by other sports as he once was.
There was a time when Sir Dave could probably have become the overlord of any sport he chose, including football.
That has gone but what he continues to do with Team Sky is, whatever your suspicions or doubts, remarkable.
PS: There was a time when coverage of sport on most television stations was underpinned by objectivity. That was a long while ago and cheerleading is now a given.
But a word to the normally excellent Eurosport commentators.
Geraint Thomas, thrilling winner of Stage 11 on Wednesday, is Geraint Thomas.
He is not ‘Gee’.
I LOVED Joe Root’s ‘mic-drop’ celebration as he went to his century against India on Wednesday. But, five years on, it also makes David Warner’s swing at the chirpy Yorkshireman a touch more understandable. IF you listen for long enough, you will inevitably hear a bad word about the world’s nicest sportsmen and women. Roger Federer? Anyone who wears their initials on a jacket has to be a little vain. Jack Nicklaus? Threw a club once. After all, no one is perfect. And someone out there will probably have a bad word to say about the magnificent Sam Warburton, forced to retire from rugby at the age of 29, but good luck finding them.
A true giant.