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Team Wiggins boss Simon Cope – at centre of Jiffy Bag controversy – says Tour de Yorkshire exclusion “disappointing”

UCI Continental team founded by five-time Olympic gold medallist and 2012 Tour de France champion participated in first two editions of race

 

Simon Cope, the manager of Team Wiggins – and the former British Cycling employee at the centre of the ‘Jiffy Bag’ controversy – has expressed his disappointment at it missing out on an invitation to the Tour de Yorkshire, which takes place from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 April.

The UCI Continental team, and its founder Sir Bradley Wiggins, who retired from professional cycling in December, have participated in the first two editions of the race, but will be missing this time round.

At the first edition of the race two years ago, Wiggins was by far the biggest draw, many people who had never gone to watch a bike race before taking to the streets to catch a glimpse of the Olympic champion and Tour de France winner.

Wiggins was back at the race last year, but abandoned during the first stage, saying he needed to focus on his preparations for Rio, where in the team pursuit he clinched the fifth Olympic gold medal of his career.

But the team was not among those named for this year’s edition earlier this week by Welcome to Yorkshire, which organises the race in partnership with Tour de France organisers ASO and British Cycling.

Quoted in The Mirror, Cope said: “It's very disappointing and it is very much a surprise. I don't really know why. It's a very strange one.

"I do feel that with the riders we have got, we would have been a top-10 contender in the GC, all things going well.

"Good or bad press at the moment, there's a percentage of the UK population who will be going to the race who want to see Wiggins there,” he added – although given its eponymous founder is no longer riding, it’s perhaps questionable how big a draw the team might be.

"You would have thought that we would have got in, but the organisers have made their selection and that's it, we can't do anything about it,” Cope added.

“We will have to go and find another bike race to do."

Cope appeared earlier this month before a House of Commons select committee that is investigating doping within sport.

In June 2011, when he was manager of the Great Britain elite women’s road team, he delivered a package to former Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman that contained medicine destined for Wiggins, who had just won the race.

The contents of that package are also the subject of a probe by UK Anti-doping, and some are linking the fact that Team Wiggins did not secure a place on next month’s race with the potential distraction it might cause because of those ongoing investigations.

Welcome to Yorkshire said: "We had 49 teams apply for the 36 men's and women's places on offer.

"Six British continental teams applied for the five slots available for the men's race. Unfortunately, someone had to miss out and this time it was Team Wiggins.

"We have a good relationship with them though and they are welcome to apply for any future editions of the race."

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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17 comments

Avatar
me | 7 years ago
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Team Wiggins were a no show at the opening round of the Tour Series in the Isle of Man last year.  The other domestic teams made it over and put on a good show.  They're meant to be a professional team but don't ride what they enter?

Rolling around at the back or climbing off on day 1 of ToB/TdY haven't enhanced the Wiggins name.  Good to let other teams who may care more to have a go.

Avatar
dottigirl | 7 years ago
1 like

I found the rankings that Cope refers to here: 

Quote:

“Scott Davies was 12th on GC in 2015 [when racing for a Great Britain composite squad] and he’s two years older, two years wiser so he could get a top-10 there.

“Out of the six British Conti teams, and bearing in mind we are a development team, we are the second best British team in the [UCI Europe Tour team] rankings behind One Pro.

“We have the current national U23 time trial champion [Davies]* and the European team and individual pursuit champion [French rider Corentin Ermenault]. It’s a massive surprise.”

In the previous two editions, only five Continental teams have been granted inclusion in the race, and last year it was Pedal Heaven** who were forced to sit out, a decision that, like this one, sparked controversy.

...

“We’re in front of Raleigh,Bike Channel and Madison in the UCI rankings. I’m not going to worry but those teams have to live up to the selection."

Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/team-wiggins-disappointed-surpr...

This is true - as of the 10th of January this year:

Quote:

20 ONE PRO CYCLING GBR 700.5
33 TEAM WIGGINS GBR 337
42 BIKE CHANNEL CANYON GBR 238.75
45 JLT CONDOR GBR 206
48 MADISON GENESIS GBR 193
72 TEAM RALEIGH GAC GBR 56

http://www.uci.html.infostradasports.com/download/CR_Invitational_rankin...

If you combine the two, Raleigh GAC are the surprise inclusion. 

 

**So Scott Davies, a TT rider, was/is their great GC hope. Will he be riding for Team GB now? TdY doesn't have a TT though. 

***Noteworthy is that Pedal Heaven RT are no more. That's a shame. Ominous too. Haven't been able to confirm what their ranking was this time last year though.

 

Avatar
peted76 | 7 years ago
0 likes

There will never be enough spaces for UK based Conti level teams. Some have to be left out.

But yeah.. all this BW and SKY stuff 'must' have influenced that decision... 

It's another non-story, yes we should know that Team Wiggins are out of TdY, but really nothing else to see here.

 

 

Avatar
nortonpdj | 7 years ago
2 likes

It would be useful to know the selection criteria.

Oh, silly me, that would mean transparency 

Avatar
Jimmy Ray Will | 7 years ago
4 likes

I should imagine the lack of tour series participation will leave them high adn dry for the TOB as well.

To be frank, the impression i get of the team is that it is nothing more than the BC national team weekend jolly team.

'Nothing BC on this weekend lads, lets get the Wiggins jersey's out' type of thing. There approach has often come across as though they are 'too good / cool' for the races they are riding.

Wiggins messing about at the back last year a prime example... it wasn't worth his while to train or try at that event... all very amusing, bants, bants, bants and all that, but really its not going to sell themselves to the powers that be. 

Its a shame for the guys on the Wiggins team who are there trying to make a difference. 

Avatar
davel | 7 years ago
5 likes

Exactly: they've kind of had a genuine GC contender previously in the team's namesake (last 2 years?) and he proved not to be interested in finishing, so now there's a hopeful punt at the top 10 Cope would like special treatment...?

Seems suspiciously like 'don't you know who I am?' bollocks to me.

Avatar
Matt_S replied to davel | 7 years ago
3 likes

davel wrote:

Seems suspiciously like 'don't you know who I am?' bollocks to me.

I think they do know who he is.

I think that's the problem

 

Avatar
Morat | 7 years ago
6 likes

He took the piss last year and was dropped this year. Hardly surprising IMO.

Avatar
dottigirl | 7 years ago
5 likes

To be fair, one of the other UK teams was left out last year - I recall reading an article here about it.

This year the teams that did get in are:

Quote:

Full list of teams for 2017 Tour de Yorkshire

UCI WorldTour teams: BMC Racing Team (USA), Orica – Scott (AUS), Team Dimension Data (RSA), Team Katusha Alpecin (SUI), Team Lotto NL – Jumbo (NED), Team Sky (GBR) and Team Sunweb (GER).

UCI Pro Continental teams: Aqua Blue Sport (IRE), Cofidis, Solutions Credits (FRA), Delko Marseille Provence KTM (FRA), Direct Energie (FRA) and Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij (NED).

UCI Continental teams: Bike Channel Canyon (GBR), JLT Condor (GBR), Madison Genesis (GBR), One Pro Cycling (GBR) and Team Raleigh GAC (GBR).

National team: Team GB (GBR).

One of those would have to have been left out this time. Which one?

FYI, last year, team classification after stage 3 was:

Quote:

1 TEAM SKY 39h17'46" 00"
2 BMC RACING TEAM 39h23'38" 05'52"
3 TEAM KATUSHA 39h26'55" 09'09"
4 DIRECT ENERGIE 39h30'05" 12'19"
5 ORICA GREENEDGE 39h30'14" 12'28"
6 TEAM LOTTO NL - JUMBO 39h30'14" ' '
7 MADISON GENESIS 39h31'58" 14'12"
8 TEAM DIMENSION DATA 39h39'25" 21'39"
9 JLT CONDOR 39h44'12" 26'26"
10 COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS 39h47'26" 29'40"
11 ONE PRO CYCLING 39h48'26" 30'40"
12 TEAM GIANT-ALPECIN 39h56'51" 39'05"
13 TEAM WIGGINS 40h00'11" 42'25"
14 TEAM RALEIGH GAC 40h10'50" 53'04"
15 TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN-BALOISE 40h16'39" 58'53"
16 ROOMPOT ORANJE PELOTON 40h16'39" '

Avatar
kitkat replied to dottigirl | 7 years ago
2 likes

dottigirl wrote:

To be fair, one of the other UK teams was left out last year - I recall reading an article here about it.

This year the teams that did get in are...

Very useful post Dotgirl. It answered the questions I had from the article. Shame Road.cc didn't provide this

Avatar
dottigirl replied to kitkat | 7 years ago
7 likes

kitkat wrote:

dottigirl wrote:

To be fair, one of the other UK teams was left out last year - I recall reading an article here about it.

This year the teams that did get in are...

Very useful post Dotgirl. It answered the questions I had from the article. Shame Road.cc didn't provide this

It was the strangely specific quote from Cope that made me look it up.

Quote:

"I do feel that with the riders we have got, we would have been a top-10 contender in the GC, all things going well.

I'm wondering who the rider he thinks could've made such an impact is. I haven't really followed much domestic men's cycling in the last year, but no obvious name jumps out from the roster I've seen (Mark Christian has moved on). Last year's results were hardly stellar either. 

Wiggins aren't competing the Tour Series this year.  Are they going to get into the ToB? The sponsors must be wondering themselves where the positive publicity is going to come from.

 

Avatar
check12 | 7 years ago
3 likes

Ouch baby... very ouch. 

Wiggins faffed about at the back the previous year too didn't he with his hour record attempt in his mind, don't blame him but not great for the race. 

Avatar
Huw Watkins | 7 years ago
0 likes

Wow, they're quick to wash their hands of Wiggins.

That's almost indecently hasty.

Avatar
Jackson replied to Huw Watkins | 7 years ago
10 likes

Huw Watkins wrote:

Wow, they're quick to wash their hands of Wiggins.

That's almost indecently hasty.

As was Bradley himself last year when he quit the race on the first stage. 

Avatar
Vili Er | 7 years ago
0 likes

"and some are linking the fact that Team Wiggins did not secure a place on next month’s race with the potential distraction it might cause because of those ongoing investigations"

 

i.e. the media 

Avatar
Vili Er | 7 years ago
2 likes

"and some are linking the fact that Team Wiggins did not secure a place on next month’s race with the potential distraction it might cause because of those ongoing investigations"

 

i.e. the media 

Avatar
tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
1 like

Simon Cope, the jiffy guy... he's DS! 

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