Former Team Sky teammates Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish had a chat on Instagram Live and got a few things off their chests about British Cycling.
Equipment, Skinsuits, Olympic selection all got an airing on their Easter Sunday chat, as attention also turned to the UK cycling body.
While Wiggins says there are "not many interesting people in cycling" he vowed to have Cavendish on his podcast once he retires, to possibly air more dirty laundry.
While Cavendish managed to evade suggestion that will get him in too much trouble through the exchange, Wiggins with the comfort of retirement and a knighthood was happy to put the boot in.
Olympics
Cavendish missed out on qualification for the Tokyo games, having hoped to compete in the Madison in Japan (an event won by Cavendish and Wiggins at the Track World Championships in 2016). The sprinter has never won an Olympic gold medal but he was not selected by British Cycling.
It was reported by cyclingnews.com that British Cycling said: ‘You haven’t done any World Cups’. When have I had to do World Cups?”
Wiggins jumped in: “That’s the thing that’s lacking now in British Cycling: someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. It’s all about box-ticking.
"With you it was just a case of opening a few doors so you could get qualified, knowing you would deliver on the day, which you do and always did – three world titles, Olympic medal and all that.
“That’s sort of been taken away now. They’d rather someone qualified for all the World Cups, then finished 10th in the Olympics. I think it’s shit, to be honest, but hey, cycling has changed so much.”
Equipment
The pair discussed how British Cycling asked for equipment back – bikes and skinsuits – with which they competed at previous Olympics.
Wiggins said of his bike from the 2012 time trial: “They didn’t have a choice with me. I’m f***ing taking it, it’s mine, I f***ing did it, I’m having it.”
Cavendish said: “I’ve still got a skinsuit but they took the skinsuits back. What are we going to do? Show it off to people and say ‘copy this’?”
Wiggins added: “I’ve still got my skinsuit as well. They’re not having it. F*** off. Try and get it from me. They try and take it back and it’s like, well, we did it, we grafted … These are my memories.”
Wiggins and Team Sky (now Team Ineos) have been embroiled in controversy since the Fancy Bears leaks in 2016 relating to therapeutic use exemptions during his career.
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