Dave Brailsford plays down 'dirty tricks' campaign against British cycling

Dave Brailsford believes his squad are in fine shape ahead of London in two years' time
13 April 2012

British Cycling have fended off talk that they - and in particular their talisman Sir Chris Hoy - are being targeted by competitors and the sport's governing body.

Britain finished second in the standings behind old adversaries Australia at the Track Cycling World Championships, but accumulated three gold, four silver and one bronze from the 10 Olympic events on the 19-event programme at the Ballerup Super Arena in Copenhagen.

Hoy, who won gold in the men's keirin on day two, endured a trying first major championships since the Beijing Olympic Games, with his competitors appearing to resort to 'dirty tricks' to beat him.

The International Cycling Union (UCI), meanwhile, are making efforts to limit the impact of Britain's world-renowned technological innovations, just a few months after overhauling the Olympic programme in a move which denied Bradley Wiggins and Rebecca Romero the chance to defend their titles at London 2012.

However, British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford does not believe his squad are being deliberately targeted after their supreme dominance of the Manchester World Championships of 2008 and the Beijing Olympics.

"I don't think there's any point in getting paranoid about it," Brailsford said.

"There is a general move to level the playing field somewhat, but even if we all had the same bikes and rode naked, I still think we'd be competitive."

Brailsford was pleased with the performances in Denmark and believes his squad are in fine shape ahead of London in two years' time.

A strategic decision was taken to concentrate only on Olympic events - sprints, keirins, team sprints, team pursuits and omniums for both sexes.

And Brailsford believes the competition have been at full power, while Britain, with high-profile names absent in Copenhagen, have something in reserve.

"Whilst there has been this perceived domination by the Aussies, it's been in events that, as far as I'm concerned, don't really matter," added Brailsford.

"I think we just need to focus on those Olympic medals to get a true reflection of what's gone on here.

"Everybody else is flat stick here. I can tell you for a fact that New Zealand, the Australians, the French, they are giving it everything they've got, whereas I really believe that we've got another gear yet.

"Across the board, I'm feeling very, very optimistic."

As for the UCI's attempts to limit technological advances by making all equipment commercially available and on the free market, Britain will comply, once the regulations are clarified.

Chris Boardman is a leading member of British Cycling's research and development group, known as 'The Secret Squirrel Club'.

Boardman, the 1992 Olympic individual pursuit champion, said: "What we do need to be able to comply is clarity, because when it says in the rules a bicycle must be 'marketed or marketable' that says to me that it doesn't have to be for sale.

"We fundamentally haven't changed our design in six years and the rules haven't changed in nine years, but now they're illegal.

"The whole point of the research and development team is that we work to the limit of the rules.

"We've looked at things that could have been done that would be illegal and we probably could have got away with it, but I said, 'No, we're not going to do that'.

"We will butt up against the rules where it helps performance, but we will not cross the line."

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