Team Sky are hoist by their own petard with admissions of amateurism | Marina Hyde


Having sold themselves as the ultimate in professionalism, Team Sky and British Cycling are now asking us to accept a remarkable litany of basic mistakes as the anti-doping investigation rolls on

Will the clean victories of British cycling turn out to be another story that Britain liked to tell itself, in the manner of the “special relationship” or our supernaturally accomplished SAS? For some, it is still too early to say, though somewhat less early than it was a few months ago, before UK Anti-Doping began its increasingly revelatory investigation into Team Sky and its partner British Cycling.

By now, there will perhaps be raised eyebrows in the many organisations before which the Team Sky head coach, Sir Dave Brailsford, spoke so lucratively as a management guru. If only they’d had access to whatever the corporate equivalent of a therapeutic use exemption was. If only someone had sent them a metaphorical Jiffy bag. The NHS, on which Brailsford consulted via the cabinet secretary, might have had better luck with various performance targets if they’d been allowed not to keep selected medical records.

Related: Team Sky’s Dave Brailsford admits ‘mistakes were made’ over medical package

For both Britain and British cycling, the time has come to cash those cheques the ego has been writing

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