David Walsh's spread in The Sunday Times last Sunday week, an extensive section of which was dedicated to his allegations of very unsporting and abusive behaviour by Irish fans on Alpe d'Huez, which everyone who was there that we have spoken to has flatly rejected.
The Sunday Times has stopped well short of apologising for comments by David Walsh about the behaviour of fans at ‘Irish Corner 10’ on the Alpe d’Huez stage 18 of the Tour de France, despite Wash himself having taken to twitter to apologise.
However, he appears to have back tracked from that position in recent days.
After apologising to any Irish fans he may have offended and accepting that the worst offenders were a group of French fans, Walsh has now apparently had second thoughts and has qualified that apology.
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He took to Twitter saying: “Just spent an hour and a half with Richie Porte in San Sebastien, he says the guys who abused him at Corner 10 were not French.”
The controversy began when Walsh wrote a story in The Sunday Times last Sunday week outlining a litany of abusive fan behaviour towards Team Sky on Alpe d’Huez. He said the behaviour was worst on the stretches of the climb where the Dutch and Irish fans had gathered.
Fans from both nations had congregated on different corners.
However, stickybottle has received a large amount of emails from Irish fans in which they contested the claims; with the contributions from a large number of people all corroborating each other on the main facts.
Those fans insisted the bad behaviour came from a group of French fans situated on the exit of Irish Corner 10, where the Irish had gathered.
Walsh also said that members of Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar had sought out Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford to apologise the day after the stage; a statement the four riders in question have completely denied. They said Walsh’s comments had damaged their reputations and caused them distress.
The Irish journalist also mentioned in his piece that a sign reading “Froome Dope” had been hung on Irish Corner 10. But photos obtained by stickybottle showed the sign was in fact in French rather than in English and read “Froome Dopé”.
Walsh appeared to have accepted he had generalised, saying so in tweets after stickybottle had ran a story speaking to the Irish fans, none of whom Walsh quoted in his piece.
He also said he accepted that French fans were behind the worst of the abuse. But he now appears to have back tracked on that with a subsequent tweet quoting Australian Richie Porte.
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When a number of Irish fans contacted The Sunday Times last week to complain, they were told “David will be addressing this issue on Sunday”.
Many of the fans who spoke to stickybottle welcomed the initial remarks by Walsh on Twitter accepting the shortcomings in the story. But they looked forward to a proper apology or clarification in the Sunday’s newspaper.
Many felt because the remarks had been made in print, Walsh should make his apologies there rather take to Twitter, which many people who buy newspapers don’t use.
However, anyone who bought the paper on Sunday with that expectation would have been left disappointed.
Instead of any apology, Walsh’s post Tour de France interview with Richie Porte – run over a full page – included a small panel in which one paragraph was given over to the Irish Corner 10 offending remarks.
The paragraph informed the reader that The Sunday Times had received “several letters” about Walsh’s description of what he said was abusive behaviour by Irish fans towards Team Sky on Alpe d’Huez.
The small panel added that most of those who had contacted the newspaper took issue with the statement that it was Irish fans who led the abuse.
It concluded that Walsh had addressed the matter on his Twitter account and anyone who wanted to read his comments should go to his Twitter account, giving the reader Walsh’s Twitter address.
It begs the question, should the reader go to Twitter and read Walsh’s initial apology and his acceptance that French fans were the worst offenders? Or should they go to the qualification two days later in which he relayed the words of Richie Porte that it was not the French who had abused him on the climb?
And what about those readers who don’t use Twitter?
Answers on a postcard (not a tweet) please......
