UCI president David Lappartient has responded to Dave Brailsford's criticism surrounding the Tour de France and French culture, with the head of the sport's governing body advising the Team Sky principal to tone down his rhetoric in the face of an already hostile situation at the Tour de France.
Team Sky came into the Tour facing a small but vocal backlash with Chris Froome cleared to race after the conclusion of his salbutamol case. The team was booed by fans at the teams presentation on the eve of the race, and during the last two weeks have faced sporadic hostility with reports that the British team – who are currently hold first and second place through Geraint Thomas and Froome – have also been spat at.
On Monday, Dave Brailsford, who lived and raced in France in his youth, used the Team Sky rest-day press conference to take aim at the French public. He had already criticised Lappartient for having the mentality of a 'small French mayor' earlier in the race, but his comments in Carcassonne – which came 24 hours after Team Sky rider Gianni Moscon was expelled from the race for punching another competitor – only inflamed the situation.
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Lappartient and Brailsford have not spoken to each other since the Frenchman became UCI president in the autumn of last year. Instead, their relationship has been crystalised by a tit-for-tat exchange in the media.
On Tuesday, at the start of stage 16, the UCI leader sat down with Cyclingnews for an exclusive interview. He started by reaffirming his passion for the sport, and displayed a detailed knowledge of cycling as he compared the dominance of Team Sky to that of the Banesto team of the early 1990s. He expressed his views on the tactics of the current 2018 race, and his wish to see more open and attacking stages in the days to come.
However, the shadow of Brailsford's comments have loomed large.
Respect for the roadside fans
Lappartient on Moscon
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/we-dont-ask-roadside-fans-to-show-us-their-passports-lappartient-tells-brailsford
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