Shane Sutton has given his first reaction to British Cycling finding he used “inappropriate and discriminatory language” towards Jess Varnish.
Having deemed to be guilty of using “inappropriate and discriminatory language” towards one of the female riders he coached, Shane Sutton has insisted he is innocent of the charge.
He also said he wants to see the supporting documentation on which the verdict was reached, insisting he never overstepped the mark with riders.
Jess Varnish (25) claimed she was dropped from the Team GB line-up, not for performance reasons as Sutton and the federation claimed, but because she was critical of the coaching at British Cycling.
And she said after she had been dropped and asked to see the performance data, Sutton told her to “go have a baby”, adding he had earlier told her that her “ass” was too big.
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Sutton, a 59-year-old who has had a baby recently with his second wife, said he was “devastated” at the findings of the inquiry and knew there was no way back to British Cycling for him.
He told The Sunday Telegraph in the UK he had enjoyed a fantastic journey with British Cycling and had worked with some of the best riders in the world and formed very fond memories.
A former road and track rider himself who rode the Tour de France with ANC-Halfords, Sutton joined British Cycling 14 years ago.
“I’m adamant that I am innocent,” he said. “I have definitely never overstepped the mark with Jess Varnish or any other athlete.
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“I’m totally adamant that no conversations took place of that nature and that’s why I’ve asked for the supporting evidence,” added Sutton, suggesting it was his word against Varnish’s and with no other proof.
“As far as I’m concerned there were two people in this conversation. So where is the evidence that this conversation, these comments took place? There is no proof.”
He said while legal action was “a long way off” it was not impossible.
"Mostly I just want to put this all behind me to be honest with you. We’ll just have to sit back and talk to our lawyers and see,” he said.
Following the ruling approaches with other federations had progressed to negotiations but he was not sure what the future held, save to say he would like to maintain a home in Britain.
And he would now spend more time with “Dave (Brailsford) and the guys” at Team Sky, which he still did some work for.
He said he had no secrets of success to share except “good coaching, good periodisation, keep it simple”.
It was “a shame” his tenure had ended in the way it had but he was very happy to have worked with British Cycling and its stars.
“The Hoys, the Wiggins, the Cavendish’s, the Pendletons, the Cookes; absolutely fantastic to have been part of.”
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