BUT SOUR GRAPES FROM RIVALS AS THEY QUESTION CYCLING SUCCESS

GREAT BRITAIN’S gold medal-winning cyclists have become the subject of thinly veiled accusations that their phenomenal success in the Olympic velodrome is fuelled by cheating.

Australian Anna Meares and German Kristina Vogel, both Olympic champions in London four years ago, have followed a senior French coach in suggesting there is something suspicious about Team GB’s dominance. Going into last night’s final evening, they had four gold medals and three silvers.

Meares said: ‘The British are just phenomenal when it comes to the Olympic Games, and we’re all just scratching our heads going: “How do they lift so much when, in so many events, they have not even been in contention in the World Championships?”

‘It’s been tough because you come in here with hope and with strong performances at world level for a number of years. Then, at the Olympics, it seems like you’re just not in competition with that nation. So they’ve got it together and, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what they’ve got together.

‘It’s not just the Australian team that have questions. We’ve talked to the Germans and the French.’

Meares later sought to clarify her position in a post on Twitter, adding: ‘I never said or insinuated that #TeamGB are cheating or doing anything suspicious!’

Vogel, a gold medallist at the London games but a bronze winner here, has said she finds British Cycling’s ability to peak for the Olympics — they also dominated four years ago — ‘very questionable’.

Referring to the world events they contest in non-Olympic years, she added: ‘They were cannon fodder when you look at the last few years. Now they come along with a (high) level. I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything, but it is all very questionable.’

The French sprint coach, former Olympic gold medallist Laurent Gane, has expressed similar concerns here in Rio.

‘The recipe should be asked for from our neighbours because I don’t understand,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what they’re doing. I would love to know. These are teams that do nothing extraordinary for four years and, once they arrive at the Olympics, they outclass the rest of the world.’

British Cycling do put all their focus on the Olympics, not least because their performances determine how much funding their receive from UK Sport. They also only let their riders use the latest technology, in terms of bikes and kit, at the Games.

At the World Championships in London in March, when British Cycling also succeeded in topping the medals table, they were riding the bikes used in 2012.

Asked if she thought the technology was making the crucial difference, Meares said: ‘I’m not sure about the technology. I know that the Australian team have done a marvellous job with technology in the last two years.’ Michael D’Almeida, part of France’s bronze medal-winning men’s team sprint trio, said: ‘We are human beings like them. We are made of the same stuff, we have a bike like they do, so why are they better? ‘If I had the explanation, I wouldn’t be here today with a bronze medal. I’m not in their camp, in their country, I don’t know how it works, I don’t know what goes on. I have my ideas about certain things, but I’m going to shut up because I don’t think it’s good to speak in the heat of the moment.’ Gregory Bauge was in that French sprint team, having served a doping ban for missing tests in 2011. Even so, French sprinter Virginie Cueff told the Wall Street Journal: ‘It’s annoying, because you can tell they’re just walking it. You watch and cycling is easy for them.’

Iain Dyer, the head coach of British Cycling, delivered a calm response, suggesting other teams ‘simply haven’t shown up’ in Rio.

‘Our performance at the worlds in March wasn’t too shabby,’ he said. ‘We’ve won 12 world titles since London 2012. If that makes us cannon fodder coming into the Olympics, then so be it.

‘If you look at some of the times that have been done here, some of the teams simply haven’t shown up. That’s the bottom line.’

Dyer said they do hold back the new kit for their riders. ‘That’s a really good point,’ he said. ‘While we peak athletically for the Olympics, we also peak in our research and innovation for the Olympics. If you have a look around, an experienced eye will tell you.

‘The helmets we are using here were used in 2012, but we haven’t used them again until now. The bikes obviously are new, the first time. And no end of different components and strategies are only appearing for the first time.

‘When you look at our opposition, generally, once you’ve seen them at the Olympics with their new kit, you go to the next World Cup and they are still on the same equipment. That’s not the way we approach things. We go back to the hard yards. We build our foundation for the next Olympics.’

Asked if he found the criticism offensive, Dyer replied: ‘If what I am hearing is true, then yes, it is. It’s a shame. The other athletes simply have not been at their best.’

Callum Skinner’s form, which saw him help the team sprinters to gold despite a relatively poor performance in London in March, may well have fuelled some of the suspicion.

‘He finished fifth at the worlds and we know that the man three was in there but we just had to get him on,’ responded Dyer. ‘There’s been a huge amount of work invested in his start. The hard work paid off.’

Skinner (left) said: ‘Coming into this competition, we were World Cup leaders, which means we’ve got the most consistent team over the three World Cups.

‘I can’t understand the comments in relation to the team sprint. I have just been working as hard as I possibly can.’