Not Happy: The lads from Lakeside - in yellow cycling kit hunched at the front - have completely rejected David Walsh's remarks about them.
Members of midlands cycling club Lakeside Wheelers have completely rejected a report by David Walsh in The Sunday Times that they apologised to Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford after events on Alpe d’Huez during last Thursday’s stage of the Tour de France.
In an article on Sunday, Walsh outlined a litany of abusive behaviour by fans aimed at Team Sky riders, staff and vehicles on the climb.
The Irishman also claimed Irish fans were at the centre of some of the events he outlined, and he suggested some had later sought out Brailsford to apologise for what had occurred on the mountain.
Walsh said those who apologised where from Lakeside Wheelers – based in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. However, in a statement to stickybottle, four members of the club have said they believe the reference to the club related to their actions in France last week. Shay O’Toole, Robbie Kenny, Charlie Sheridan and Ken Berry have completely rejected Walsh’s report.
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They said they were "blown away" by what was their first trip to the Tour on the famous climb, but they had been distressed by what Walsh had subsequently written.
“We have become embroiled in a controversy, that through no fault of our own, has brought embarrassment to us, our families and our club, Lakeside Wheelers Mullingar,” the statement reads.
Walsh wrote that Team Sky’s Irish doctor Alan Farrell met with Irish fans in Bourg d’Oisans the morning after Alpe d'Huez and informed them that he was disappointed with the reaction to Sky riders.
The statement from the Lakeside riders deals with that issue, saying: “We were in Bourg d’Oisans that morning and spoke to Alan Farrell, and yes, he was incensed. But what Mr Farrell did not know until we told him, and explained clearly to him, was that the only abuse we witnessed towards any rider was from a group of French “supporters” who were on the opposite side of the road to us on the climb all day.”
They added they explained this to Farrell, and also explained that the French fans were prevented by those at Irish corner from dressing in medics and chasing Froome with a giant syringe.
“When Mr Farrell was made aware of this he declared that it was news to him. Does Mr Walsh know of this incident?”
The four Lakeside men seem incensed that Walsh had written in his piece that a little after the stage ‘four cyclists from Lakeside Cycling Club in Mullingar found Brailsford and told him they were sorry’.
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“This is completely inaccurate and it is our experience that it has been interpreted by several people that the four of us were in some way involved in the unsavory events which Mr Walsh alleges took place,” the four riders say in their statement to stickybottle.
“Yes, we did speak to Mr Dave Brailsford the principal director of Team Sky but we did not look for him as is implied in Mr Walsh’s quote and we did not say sorry to him or any other person.”
“We met Mr Brailsford on the street and in the course of having our photo taken with him he mentioned the abuse of Team Sky on the Alpe. We informed him of the fighting between the French and English and he actually thanked us for explaining this however, he did state that some Irish fans gave the thumbs down symbol and booed the Sky team.”
“We informed him we could not comment on this as none of the four of us witnessed any Irish fan act in any way negatively towards any rider, official or vehicle from any team on the Alpe or elsewhere.”
“Since returning home we have emailed David Walsh requesting him to speak with us to allow us to put the record straight but to date we have received no reply.”
The statement concludes at that and is signed by Shay O’Toole, Robbie Kenny, Charlie Sheridan and Ken Berry.
We have a lot more reaction coming up, with photos and video.
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