Sky to employ dopers

eh

Yates and Sutton

Thats who I was thinking of. Interesting comment in the comic recently by Nicky Craig about Yates.

I am write in thinking from the Brailsford transcript that he basically thinks a clean TDF winner is impossible, it appears realism might be setting in at long last with BC/Sky. Only porblem is what route do they take now, keep missing the big targets or take the route to success?

mroli

eh wrote:

I am write in thinking from the Brailsford transcript that he basically thinks a clean TDF winner is impossible

I don't think you are right - I think he is saying that a clean BRITISH TDF winner in the next 4 years is going to be very difficult. That is a long way from saying clean TDF winner.

Also - I think people are piling in overboard on this, Brailsford has said (paraphrasing):

Barry - came from a clean team, where he had spent a long time and moved to a clean team. There have been allegations made, but no proof, so we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt. We hired him because the team needed some leaders and he checked out ok.

DS's - it is very hard to find DS's in their 40s who didn't dope because doping was rife in those days. However, we MAY change our position on this if we find a suitably penitent candidate, but have not done so so far.

Loads of people criticised Brailsford for being naive this time last year. Now loads of people are criticising him for reneging on his position (ie being less naive). He can't win.

(my personal preference would be for Sky to continue to operate a no drug users policy both in relation to riders and staff and if that meant they were less competitive as a result, then so be it. But if I was Roman Abramovich, I would ban play acting, diving and appealing for non-existence offences and use all my money to try and win the league "clean", I would not accept Dwain Chambers running in a British shirt and I wouldn't have fined Woods for spitting on greens recently, I'd have banned him!)

simon_e

Pross wrote:

Unfortunately it is a sad indictment on our sport when a team boss suggests it is almost impossible to find staff that are completely without the taint of doping in their past.

and when an interview like this provokes big headlines and comments about Sky working with dopers.

Looks like a bit of a non-story to me. It seems Dave B is only repeating what has been said before and (it seems, and I hope) taking a pragmatic view of those in the sport to work with. Whether Yates and Sutton were dopers when racing is merely rumour, not fact. And we don't know what has been said behind the doors of BC/Sky regarding how they view their past exploits and where they stand re. doping now.

Brailsford has to work with the facts he knows, not stuff that someone on here makes up / hears from ex-riders and othes. He's damned either way, I don't envy him one bit.

Kléber

Just a thought, are they looking to hire someone new or is this some sort of preparation in case the heat gets too much for Barry or even Yates?

stfc1

Kléber wrote:

Just a thought, are they looking to hire someone new or is this some sort of preparation in case the heat gets too much for Barry or even Yates?

I wondered if they were opening the door to employing Zabel in their pursuit of Cavendish?

RichN95.

stfc1 wrote:

Kléber wrote:

Just a thought, are they looking to hire someone new or is this some sort of preparation in case the heat gets too much for Barry or even Yates?

I wondered if they were opening the door to employing Zabel in their pursuit of Cavendish?

Or Brian Holm, for the same reason (he almost went to Leopard).

Personally, I can see Shane Sutton going back to the track full time for 2012.