Skyfall #5: Naming names, Jiffy-gate revelations and the Sutton tapes
In this final part of "Skyfall': the most notorious incident in British cycling's modern history, tribunal secrets, Wiggins' unreleased documentary, and Shane Sutton in his own words
The “Skyfall” series about doping and other “enhancements” at Team Sky and British Cycling from the Noughties onwards concludes today with a list of people with question marks against them.
As Dave Brailsford (before the ‘Sir’) told the world he was assembling the cleanest road cycling team in history from 2010, there were coaches, riders and doctors at Team Sky who had doping klaxons blaring. It’s a long list.
The first part of this series was published last Tuesday: 'Living a lie' - exposing the dark underbelly of British cycling's golden age.
Part two was last Wednesday: Injections at Windermere, drugs in the fridge, and lies about coming clean. Part three was published last Friday: Drugs at the TdF, backstabbing, lies, cover-ups, omertà.
Part four was published on Monday and told the story of British Cycling's nandrolone mystery before London 2012 Olympics, which only became public when I reported it a decade later. That episode alone leaves British Cycling with unanswered ethical questions to this day.
Today I’ll also be telling you new things you probably don’t know about …
The “Jiffy-gate” saga, rooted in the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné. Spoiler: it wasn’t a Jiffy bag.
The long, costly and inconclusive UKAD investigation into that saga.
Bradley Wiggins’ dark revelations in the yet-to-be-released documentary he made between 2021 and 2023 and which I touched upon in part four.
Some of the evidence at Dr Freeman’s medical tribunal that the official verdict kept secret and you’ll read in this piece.
But let’s start with a list of names — in alphabetical order of their surnames — of some of those involved with Team Sky and / or British Cycling who have question marks over their conduct, either via doping, suspected doping, or other ‘enhancements’ — mostly TUEs (therapeutic use exemptions), often for asthma — that they tried to keep secret.