Dave Brailsford appears to be losing his grip as hands spin out of control | Richard Williams

Jan 13, 2017

The man who has seemed such an authoritative presence at the head of Team Sky now looks like a malfunctioning robot having made a number of bad decisions

Early on a July morning in 2012 a small figure in black cycling kit left the village of Vielha, on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, and set off along the quiet two‑lane road towards the Col du Portillon, a winding tree-lined climb leading to the French border.

The kit was that of Team Sky, but beneath the helmet and the sunglasses it was impossible to identify the rider, only to envy him the imminent experience of a picturesque climb. Just under five miles long, with gradients averaging 6.8%, the 4,200ft Portillon has occasionally featured in the Tour de France. Clearly the rider in the Sky kit was on his way from Vielha, where the team were one of several bivouacking overnight in the village’s hotels, to Bagnères-de-Luchon and the start of stage 17 of the 2012 Tour.

It was as if some unseen hand had surreptitiously turned the relevant dial way past the optimum setting

Tags: British Cycling Cycling Dave Brailsford Drugs in sport Sport Team Sky