The spreading ripples of the Lance Armstrong case haven’t yet reached the proportions of the tsunami which rolled up against Hawaii last week but they continue to claim casualties in the world of pro cycling.
Dave Brailsford, team principal of Team Sky, claims he was stunned by the revelations contained in the Armstrong case and believes cycling had ‘lost its moral compass.’ The doping enquiry has had plenty of fallout with regard to Team Sky after former rider Michael Barry revealed he lied about his involvement in the scandal.
Barry, who rode for Sky from 2010 through to 2012, has admitted he took performance-enhancing drugs up to 2006. He had already announced his retirement at the end of this season but has still been given a six-month suspension. Brailsford has admitted to being disappointed in Barry, who he said lied to him. Team Sky has a strict zero tolerance policy regarding drugs but they insist that isn’t the reason that Sean Yates has decided to quit his role as lead sporting director of the team that dominated last year’s Tour De France.
Yates is a former teammate of Lance Armstrong but has vehemently denied any personal wrongdoing. However, the media has found him guilty by association and his position has become untenable since the extent of Armstrong’s corruption became common knowledge. It’s believed fellow Team Sky sports director Steven De Jongh may also be leaving and the team have some serious decisions to make in the next few weeks on several matters. Not least, whether Bradley Wiggins will be their number one rider in the Tour De France next year. Interviews with Wiggins lately suggest he’d rather act as a support rider to Chris Froome with more mountain stages in next year’s Tour and concentrate instead on the Tour d’Italia. Sportingbet seem to think the decision has already been made and have Wiggins at 14/1 to win the 2013 Tour De France with Froome a best 7/2 with Betfred behind 6/5 favourite (Skybet and William Hill) Alberto Contador.
There’s also a decision to be made about who will replace Mark Cavendish at Team Sky following his defection to Omega Pharma-Quick Step. Cavendish feels he wasn’t given a chance this year with his team focusing all their energies on Wiggins and Froome and he’s only Evens with William Hill to win the green jersey again in 2013 with his new team.
