The president of cycling’s world governing body, Brian Cookson, believes Team Sky have abandoned their commitment to developing young British riders.
Cookson, who served as president of British Cycling from 1997 until taking up his post at the UCI last year, played a significant role in the creation of Team Sky in 2010. Back then the Team Sky lineup contained eight Britons and this year the number was the same but the team principal, Sir Dave Brailsford, came under criticism during this year’s Tour de France when announcing that one of his main future ambitions was to win the race with a French rider.
When Chris Froome pulled out of the race the only remaining Briton in the team, in the absence of Bradley Wiggins, was Geraint Thomas but Brailsford opted to hand leadership to the Australian Richie Porte, shunning the opportunity to build for the future by selecting the Welshman instead.
The fact that the 22-year-old twins Adam and Simon Yates, two of the most promising young British cyclists, ride for the Australian Orica-GreenEdge team rather than Team Sky has also raised eyebrows. And speaking to Cycle Sport, the sister publication of Cycling Weekly, Cookson also expressed his concerns.
He said: “I’m reluctant to criticise Sir David Brailsford in any way because he has done amazing things with British Cycling and with Team Sky, but I feel that the team isn’t quite staying true to one of the reasons it was formed. I mean, the Yates brothers should be in Team Sky.”
