Tour De France 2018: Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford says UCI cheif has mentality of a ‘local French mayor’

UCI president David Lappartient said Team Sky’s financial advantage allowed them to handle Chris Froome’s asthma drug case better than a team rival could

Team Sky chief Sir Dave Brailsford has reminded UCI president David Lappartient of his “responsibilities” and says he has the mentality of a “local French mayor” after he criticised the way Team Sky handled Chris Froome’s asthma drug case.

Cycling’s world governing body dropped Froome’s case ahead of the Tour and Lappartient told BBC Sport Team Sky’s significant financial advantage allowed them to deal with the situation in way that any of their rivals could not have done.

“Froome had more financial support to find good experts to explain the situation,” said Lapprtient on the day before the Grand Depart.

“He’s still got the local French mayor mentality,” said Brailsford ahead of stage two when asked about the UCI president’s comments. Lappartient is the mayor of French village Sarzeau, where the peloton will complete stage four of the Tour on Tuesday, and Brailsford has urged him to drop his narrow way of thinking.

“If you want to be the president of an international federation, protect everyone in that international community, don’t take a French angle, or a nationalistic view,” said Brailsford.

“He’s still learning that. The quicker he can get there and learn what a president of an international federation’s responsibilities are, the better it will be for everyone, but he’s got some work to do.”

Chris Froome is the favourite to win the 2018 Tour (EPA)

A nine-month investigation into Team Sky leader Froome’s level of legal asthma drug salbutamol found in September was dropped by the UCI on the advice of the World Anti-Doping Agency [Wada] ahead of the tour.

Lappartient has said that Froome had benefitted from Team Sky’s financial resources to find experts which helped deal with the case. “Froome had more financial support to find good experts to explain the situation,” he said, adding that all investigations are the same if “it’s a small rider or Chris Froome, a small team or Team Sky.”

“I’d try to attract the big guys, not criticising them for their resources, you should be getting more resources into the sport” said Brailsford when fantasising about how he would attract more sponsors if he was at the top of the UCI.

“If that resource enables you to refine or test some of the regulations where riders who haven't got the funds have a false positive, if that were me I'd be saying, 'Thanks very much for that investment, because I think we can use this and keep on developing everything to make our rules better'.

"And if we're looking to protect innocent riders then we don't want false positives. And if someone can help support that, then well done. I wouldn't be taking the angle that there is one rule for one and one rule for another."