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The Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Allegations against Ineos's David Rozman put Team Sky's entire legacy under the microscope
In the soft-focus documentary which follows Team Sky during their hugely successful 2012 season, when Bradley Wiggins wins the Tour de France, we are told a story of what can be achieved when good clean British ingenuity takes on the world's most morally bankrupt sport. Brailsford's colleagues swoon over the benefits of his ploy of 'marginal gains'; colour-coded water bottles, standardised seat heights, a luxury bus: they all count. In one clip, team chef Soren Kristiansen cheers his energy-conserving food programme while chopping some aubergines. In another, team physio Dan Guillemette lauds their 'really good' pillows. 'That's the whole thing about marginal gains,' he says, after tucking in the sleep-enhancing sheets beneath a hypoallergenic mattress. 'On their own they probably don't make a great deal of difference, but add them together and that's the difference between this team and our rivals.' Which was all true. But what we later discovered was that the pillows and the power food were supplemented by a ploy to exploit grey areas in the rules, according to a 54-page report by a parliamentary select committee, which concluded that Bradley Wiggins used triamcinolone before major races to enhance performance, questioned Dave Brailsford 's 'winning clean' ethos and accused Team Sky of ' crossing an ethical line ' by cynically exploiting therapeutic use exemptions. Team Sky, who later became Ineos, have always maintained that they stuck to the rules, and Wiggins has vehemently denied wrongdoing. But fresh revelations over the past week have restored the spotlight on Sky's era of success. David Rozman, a long-term member of the team's staff, left this year's Tour de France mid-race after allegations by Germany TV station ARD that he exchanged messages with Mark Schmidt, a notorious German doping doctor who was convicted in 2021 of leading a sophisticated doping ring involving multiple cyclists and skiers. Rozman is a team 'carer' – essentially an assistant who carries out rider massages among other support duties – and worked closely with Wiggins and Chris Froome during his career. Some of the messages were published by The Times. They included a text, allegedly from Rozman to Schmidt, sent one month before the 2012 Tour de France won by Wiggins, which read: 'Do you still have any of the stuff that Milram [Schmidt's disgraced former team] used during the races? If so, can you bring it for the boys?' Then, during the Tour, the day before Froome won on La Planche des Belle Filles and Wiggins claimed the yellow jersey, it is alleged that text messages reveal how Schmidt visited Team Sky's hotel to meet Rozman. In another message, Rozman sent Schmidt the contact details for a suspected drug dealer, based in Slovenia and codenamed Maestro Baltazar, who was allegedly in the business of supplying banned substances. The International Testing Agency is investigating the case. Rozman is yet to speak publicly about the claims, and The Independent has approached him for comment. Ineos Grenadiers said in a statement: 'To date the team has received no evidence from any relevant authority. In response to the team's request for information, the ITA has advised the team that it cannot share any further information, due to legal and confidentiality restrictions. Both David [Brailsford] and the team will of course co-operate with the ITA and any other authority. The team reiterates its zero-tolerance policy and is unable to comment further at this time.' Brailsford was the genius hand pulling every string of Sky's great era, giving every department unwavering focus, unity and direction, from medical and nutrition to strategy and performance, to the riders themselves on the road. He returned to the Tour de France this month after his brief foray into football with Manchester United, but refused to answer any questions on the Rozman issue, telling journalists: 'No comment, and adding when they persisted: 'F****** come on guys.' Rozman may be cleared of wrongdoing. Or he may be found guilty and then simply be dismissed as a rogue operator, a bad apple in the bunch. After all, there are skeletons on most team buses in this sport, one where an eye-watering number of alleged, accused or admitted dopers are still employed among top teams. But then you remember that select committee report, and the whistleblower who alleged Wiggins and several teammates were using corticosteroids out of competition 'to lean down in preparation for major races'. You remember that so little of what went on can be examined because team doctor Richard Freeman destroyed his laptop with a blunt instrument and failed to keep adaquate records; you remember Geert Leinders, who worked with Team Sky in 2012, and who was later banned for life for multiple doping violations from 1996-2009 on a previous team. And now we have the unproven allegations against Rozman. As a British cycling fan, it was hard not to feel smug watching their decade of dominance. This was a sport that the British had no hand in – road cycling didn't begin in Britain, it wasn't codified by the British, and it was rarely won by British riders, let alone a British team. Brailsford and Team Sky changed all that, taking a grip of the Tour de France peloton with the kind of carefully calibrated control that irked many of those in the sport's heartlands. Now it is hard not to feel disconsolate. Rozman may be exonerated, Team Sky reprieved. But the scrutiny on that era remains more than a decade later, like a knife scratching at the story's edges, chipping away at what we thought we knew. The outcome of the ITA's investigation could rewrite the legacy.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Arensman wins Tour de France 19th stage as Pogacar approaches final triumph
THYMEN Arensman claimed his second victory in this year's Tour de France when he benefited from the top guns' waiting game to prevail in the 19th stage, the last mountain trek of the race on Friday, as Tadej Pogacar took a giant stride towards a fourth title. The Ineos Grenadiers rider, whose team have been facing doping questions related to their glorious days as Team Sky, went solo in the final climb to La Plagne before crossing the line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Pogacar, who were second and third respectively. 'I'm absolutely destroyed. I can't believe it,' Aresnman said. 'Already one stage on the Tour was unbelievable, from a breakaway, but now from the GC (general classification) group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming.' Slovenian Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and leads Vingegaard by 4:24 going into the final two stages and is widely expected to win a fourth title if he avoids a major incident. German Florian Lipowitz took fourth place on the shortened stage to cement his third place overall, stretching his advantage over fourth-placed Oscar Onley of Britain by 41 seconds to 1:03. It would have taken a colossal coup from Vingegaard to topple Pogacar on the final mountain test in the Alps, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider only tried within the last 100 metres to take two seconds off of the Slovenian's lead, with Pogacar emerging as the puppet master of the peloton. A leading trio featuring France's Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret Peintre as well as former Tour runner-up Primoz Roglic, reached the Col du Pre with a small gap of a chasing group after a brutal 12.2-km ascent at 7.7%. The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG, trailed by less than a minute. With two kilometres left in the climb up to the Cormet de Roselend (5.9km at 6.9%), Paret Peintre and Roglic shook off Martinez, but only briefly as the Bahrain-Victorious rider clawed his way back. Roglic went solo in the descent into Bourg Saint Maurice, dropping Martinez and Paret Peintre, who were quickly caught by the bunch. Roglic was then swallowed two kilometres before the final climb and spat out immediately. Austrian Felix Gall, gunning for a top five finish in Paris, accelerated 14.5km from the finish with Arensman, Pogacar and Vingegaard reacting. Pogacar made his own move 14km from the top with Vingegaard and Arensman the only riders able to get into his slipstream. Pogacar eventually let Arensman go and seemed content with setting a decent tempo to keep the Dutchman within reach, but the Slovenian eventually did not make the effort to go for a fifth stage win this year -REUTERS
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Dutchman Thymen Arensman wins Stage 19 of Tour de France
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman finishing ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and overall leader Tadej Pogacar to win the 19th stage of the Tour de France on July 25. – Dutchman Thymen Arensman claimed his second victory in the 2025 Tour de France when he benefited from the top guns' waiting game to prevail in the 19th stage, the last mountain trek of the race on July 25. The Ineos Grenadiers rider, whose team have been facing doping questions related to their glorious days as Team Sky, went solo in the final climb to La Plagne. He then crossed the line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, who were second and third respectively. An exhasted Arensman collapsed into the roadside barriers after crossing the finish line. The 25-year-old, who had also won Stage 14, said: 'I'm absolutely destroyed. I can't believe it. 'Already to win one stage of the Tour is incredible from a break, but now from the GC (general classification) group and against some of the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming. I don't know what I just did. 'Everyone knows Tadej and Jonas are the strongest in the world, almost aliens… Then just as a human, I still want to try to beat them. I just can't believe I beat them today. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Career setbacks among challenges raised by those seeking fertility help in S'pore: Survey Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly 'I tried to not look behind, just go as fast as I could and it was enough.' Slovenian Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and leads Vingegaard by 4min 24sec going into the final two stages. He is widely expected to win a fourth title if he avoids a major incident. German Florian Lipowitz took fourth place on the shortened stage to cement his third place overall, stretching his advantage over fourth-placed Oscar Onley of Scotland by 41sec to 1:03. It would have taken a colossal coup from Vingegaard to topple Pogacar on the final mountain test in the Alps, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider tried only within the last 100 metres to take two seconds off the Slovenian's lead, with Pogacar emerging as the puppet master of the peloton. A leading trio featuring France's Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret-Peintre as well as former Tour runner-up Primoz Roglic, reached the Col du Pre with a small gap to a chasing group after a brutal 12.2km ascent at 7.7 per cent. The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, trailed by less than a minute. With two kilometres left in the climb up to the Cormet de Roselend (5.9km at 6.9 per cent), Paret-Peintre and Roglic shook off Martinez, but only briefly as the Bahrain Victorious rider clawed his way back. Roglic went solo in the descent into Bourg-Saint-Maurice, dropping Martinez and Paret-Peintre, who were quickly caught by the bunch. Roglic was then swallowed two kilometres before the final climb and spat out immediately. Austrian Felix Gall, gunning for a top-five finish in Paris, accelerated 14.5km from the line with Arensman, Pogacar and Vingegaard reacting. Pogacar made his own move 14km from the top, with Vingegaard and Arensman the only riders able to get into his slipstream. Pogacar eventually let Arensman go and seemed content with setting a decent tempo to keep the Dutchman within reach, but the Slovenian eventually did not make the effort to go for a fifth stage win of 2025. REUTERS, AFP
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Arensman wins Tour's 19th stage as Pogacar keeps yellow
Thymen Arensman claimed his second victory in this year's Tour de France when he benefited from the top guns' waiting game to prevail in the 19th stage, the last mountain trek of the race. The Dutch Ineos Grenadiers rider, whose team have been facing doping questions related to their glorious days as Team Sky, went solo in the final climb to La Plagne before crossing the line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar, who were second and third respectively. "I'm absolutely destroyed. I can't believe it," Aresnman said. "Already one stage on the Tour was unbelievable, from a breakaway, but now from the GC (general classification) group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming." Slovenian Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and leads Vingegaard by 4:24 going into the final two stages and is widely expected to win a fourth title if he avoids a major incident. German Florian Lipowitz took fourth place on the shortened stage to cement his third place overall, stretching his advantage over fourth-placed Oscar Onley of Britain by 41 seconds to 1:03. It would have taken a colossal coup from Vingegaard to topple Pogacar on the final mountain test in the Alps, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider only tried within the last 100 metres to take two seconds off of the Slovenian's lead, with Pogacar emerging as the puppet master of the peloton. A leading trio featuring France's Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret Peintre as well as former Tour runner-up Primoz Roglic, reached the Col du Pre with a small gap of a chasing group after a brutal 12.2-km ascent at 7.7 per cent. The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG, trailed by less than a minute. Australia's Ben O'Connor, who brilliantly won Thursday's 18th stage, was placed 12th, ensuring he kept his overall 10th position in the GC. South Australian Callum Scotson (Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale) was placed 24th. With two kilometres left in the climb up to the Cormet de Roselend (5.9km at 6.9 per cent), Paret Peintre and Roglic shook off Martinez, but only briefly as the Bahrain-Victorious rider clawed his way back. Roglic went solo in the descent into Bourg Saint Maurice, dropping Martinez and Paret Peintre, who were quickly caught by the bunch. Roglic was then swallowed two kilometres before the final climb and spat out immediately. Austrian Felix Gall, gunning for a top five finish in Paris, accelerated 14.5km from the finish with Arensman, Pogacar and Vingegaard reacting. Pogacar made his own move 14km from the top with Vingegaard and Arensman the only riders able to get into his slipstream. Pogacar eventually let Arensman go and seemed content with setting a decent tempo to keep the Dutchman within reach, but the Slovenian eventually did not make the effort to go for a fifth stage win this year.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Arensman wins Tour de France 19th stage as Pogacar approaches final triumph
LA PLAGNE, France - Thymen Arensman claimed his second victory in this year's Tour de France when he benefited from the top guns' waiting game to prevail in the 19th stage, the last mountain trek of the race on Friday, as Tadej Pogacar took a giant stride towards a fourth title. The Ineos Grenadiers rider, whose team have been facing doping questions related to their glorious days as Team Sky, went solo in the final climb to La Plagne before crossing the line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Pogacar, who were second and third respectively. "I'm absolutely destroyed. I can't believe it," Aresnman said. "Already one stage on the Tour was unbelievable, from a breakaway, but now from the GC (general classification) group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming." Slovenian Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and leads Vingegaard by 4:24 going into the final two stages and is widely expected to win a fourth title if he avoids a major incident. German Florian Lipowitz took fourth place on the shortened stage to cement his third place overall, stretching his advantage over fourth-placed Oscar Onley of Britain by 41 seconds to 1:03. It would have taken a colossal coup from Vingegaard to topple Pogacar on the final mountain test in the Alps, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider only tried within the last 100 metres to take two seconds off of the Slovenian's lead, with Pogacar emerging as the puppet master of the peloton. A leading trio featuring France's Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret Peintre as well as former Tour runner-up Primoz Roglic, reached the Col du Pre with a small gap of a chasing group after a brutal 12.2-km ascent at 7.7%. The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG, trailed by less than a minute. With two kilometres left in the climb up to the Cormet de Roselend (5.9km at 6.9%), Paret Peintre and Roglic shook off Martinez, but only briefly as the Bahrain-Victorious rider clawed his way back. Roglic went solo in the descent into Bourg Saint Maurice, dropping Martinez and Paret Peintre, who were quickly caught by the bunch. Roglic was then swallowed two kilometres before the final climb and spat out immediately. Austrian Felix Gall, gunning for a top five finish in Paris, accelerated 14.5km from the finish with Arensman, Pogacar and Vingegaard reacting. Pogacar made his own move 14km from the top with Vingegaard and Arensman the only riders able to get into his slipstream. Pogacar eventually let Arensman go and seemed content with setting a decent tempo to keep the Dutchman within reach, but the Slovenian eventually did not make the effort to go for a fifth stage win this year. REUTERS
