David Brailsford hopeful that Team Sky will return stronger in the season ahead
British outfit, Team Sky is still searching for a new Sports Director as we are almost into the new season.
The team was left without the services of Steven De Jongh, Bobby Julich and Sean Yates in October 2012 after the duo were forced to retire.
Both, Julich and De Jongh had to leave the team after their recent doping confession related to the USADA’s investigation into Lance Armstrong, whereas Yates retired from the team because of health issues.
The British team had a fantastic season and secured the top overall position after the UCI World Tour team’s rankings with a total number of 1767 UCI points to its credit.
Team Katusha, Team Liquigas-Cannondale, Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Team Movistar claimed the second, third, fourth and the fifth positions in the respective order.
Having two of its cyclists at the Tour de France podium really helped the British team with the boost it needed for the season.
Bradley Wiggins became the first ever British rider to claim an overall victory at the French Grand Tour with his teammate, Christopher Froome at the second position.
However, in order to ensure that the team continuous it’s winning momentum for the new season, Brailsford must fill in the empty spots to ensure the team keeps on performing at the same pace.
Shaun Stephens’s addition to the team has definitely made up for the loss of Julich and Dan Hunt is also expected to join the British outfit but the news has not yet been confirmed.
David noted that he would stick to a strict anti-doping policy and would not compromise it over results during his search for a new Sports Director.
“It’s hard to find somebody but we’re not going to change our policy. When you arrive at this point, you’re perhaps obliged to back off from performance for a little bit in order to maintain your stance on anti-doping”.
“There’s what we’re going to do. I’d prefer that we stick to our philosophy and go backwards with our results, rather than try to do everything and wrangle a bit to stay on top. The most important thing isn’t just winning”.
Only time will tell, if the British team manages to find a new Sports Director in time before the new season kicks off.
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