Team Sky Principal Dave Brailsford is "ruffling feathers with his attitude" toward Cycling News, with which he has "publicly fallen out" during the Tour de France, according to William Fotheringham of the London GUARDIAN. Brailsford accused Cycling News writer Barry Ryan of "writing shit about [him]" and told him he was "excluded from listening" to cyclist Chris Froome as he spoke to TV outlets. That came after a "similar episode" with Cycling News website editor Daniel Benson earlier in the race. Cycling News reported Brailsford told Ryan, "You're not invited. We have invited the people we want to speak to. You've been writing shit about me." The problem "apparently related to an opinion piece written by Ryan before the Tour which criticised Brailsford's handling of the media" since the leaking of cyclist Bradley Wiggins' therapeutic use exemptions for the legal use of the corticosteroid triamcinolone. Asked by Ryan what elements of the article he "objected to," Brailsford was then reported to have said, "I'm not getting into that. It was opinion, you write shit. We make ourselves available, we answer all the questions and you write this shit" (GUARDIAN, 7/17). CYCLING NEWS' Stephen Farrand reported the publication was initially told by the team that it could listen to the three media "grabs" with Froome but not ask questions. The "atmosphere seemed relaxed and conciliatory." However, Brailsford then came over to a group of journalists and "targeted Ryan, telling him he was not welcome." Other journalists who witnessed Brailsford's "personal attack" on Ryan "appeared shocked by his tone." Ryan suggested that the "only other person to act like this (with the media)" was Johan Bruyneel when he barred Belgian media company Sporza at the 2009 Tour de France. Brailsford replied, "Are you accusing me of running a doping program as well?" Ryan said, "Well, UK Anti-Doping are investigating that." At that point, Brailsford said, "You can stick it up your arse," and walked off (CYCLING NEWS, 7/17).
GROWING RELUCTANCE: In London, Matt Dickinson reported the "Wiggins affair is still proving heavy baggage for the team," with another ramification "appearing to be a growing reluctance among cyclists" to seek the type of TUE used by the '12 Tour champion for injections of a corticosteroid. Tim Wellens, a Belgian rider for Lotto-Soudal, abandoned the Tour on stage 15 after "declining to seek medication that might have treated an illness or allergic reaction." Team doctor Servaas Bingé "confirmed that a drug, normally on the banned list, had been offered to Wellens but the cyclist had opted not to take it through a TUE" (LONDON TIMES, 7/18).
