British Cycling’s reboot was somewhat derailed by the latest revelations in Parliament but its 39-point plan should draw a line under the era between the Athens and Rio OlympicsThe press briefing on Thursday morning by the British Cycling chairman, Jonathan Browning, and the UK Sport chief executive, Liz Nicholl, at British Cycling’s headquarters in Manchester should have been all about the governing body’s 39-point plan to revamp its culture and management. This appeared to have been planned as a pre-emptive strike against revelations in the much delayed Phelps report into the culture within the Olympic team prompted by the scandal last spring involving allegations of sexism made by the sprinter Jess Varnish.The agenda was immediately transformed, however, by the dramatic...
Shane Sutton and David Brailsford’s appearances in front of the culture, media and sport committee sparked so many flashbacks to my frustration in trying to deal with British CyclingThe reputations of British Cycling, Team Sky, Bradley Wiggins and, by association, every contemporary British cyclist were all on the line in front of the culture, media and sport committee before Christmas. I felt for the MPs. They kept asking a very simple question: “Can you tell us what was in the Jiffy bag?”Time and again, as they sought to drag out answers, the MPs summed up the verbiage with a succinct response: “I am not sure whether that was a yes or a no.” I had so many flashbacks during those...
Sir Dave Brailsford and Shane Sutton will appear before MPs on the culture, media and sport select committee on Monday. What should they be asked?Back when Team Sky was in utero, Sir Dave Brailsford made a startling statement of intent. “People come into professional cycling and compromise,” he told the Guardian in 2009. “We can’t compromise.” He was discussing specifically why he was avoiding riders associated with doping, but his words carried a deeper message: others might sprint into grey and black to be successful but Sky’s aim was to be straight as well as successful.There was always a contrast between the public projection of the Sky image – marginal gains, no stone left unturned, glory upon glory – and the...