DON’T FALL FOR SIDESHOW

HAD IT been on over in the West End, the audience would certainly have got their money’s worth. Shane Sutton versus Mary O’Rourke QC made for extraordinary courtroom drama. It’s a sideshow, though. A sub-plot compared to the issue of the day. Credit Dr Richard Freeman’s counsel with some outstanding misdirection but, sooner or later, it will be her client on the stand — and then the production really starts. This is about Freeman and 30 sachets of Testogel, not Sutton’s performance in the bedroom. This is about whether British Cycling and Team Sky doped, not whether Sutton was clean in his days as a cyclist. So, while Sutton’s furious reaction to O’Rourke’s questioning no doubt kept the gallery amused, it amounts to little more than empty titillation. All the speculation about the content of Sutton’s Y-fronts merely delays the moment when we get to hear from the man whose credentials are truly under inspection and that is Freeman. He has already admitted lying, but there is so much that demands scrutiny. Mysterious packages journeying across Europe, bizarre deliveries to the heart of British Cycling, forgetful episodes, inadequate records, and now some fresh accusations, considering Sutton’s angry responses about his professional conduct. Maybe Sutton will come out for one final round with O’Rourke later this week and maybe that will make headlines, too. But eventually it will be Freeman who has to answer. And that is the time to put the popcorn down and get serious.