Thomas: ‘I’ve never seen anything like that’ on Sky needles allegations

Geraint Thomas has dismissed allegations that Team Sky has violated the UCI’s no-needles ban introduced in 2011.

Asked about the recent allegations made to UK Anti-Doping by an anonymous source described as “a Sky insider” that the team had given riders injections of Fluimicil and other substances to aid recovery, Thomas said, “It’s just a load of bull as far as I’m concerned. I’ve certainly not seen anything like that [at Team Sky].”

Speaking at the Tour of the Alps, Thomas told Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews that he had seen a tweet containing a headline relating to the whistleblower’s story, but hadn’t read the story linked to it.

“I don’t know if they’re saying it’s after the needle ban. As far as I’m concerned, in my own little world, I’ve never seen anything like that. For me, it’s just about cracking on,” Thomas said.

Injections to aid recuperation were legal until 2011 and Chris Froome had confirmed in January that he had been given Fluimucil by injection while he was on the Barloworld team prior to joining Sky in 2010.

“I’ve never had it from the team,” Thomas added. “They did have some kind of stuff (at Barloworld) but I never really had that. In our team, I certainly haven’t seen that.”

Earlier this month, Massimiliano Mantovani, the former team doctor at Barloworld, confirmed to The Guardian that the team had used Fluimucil by injection before the introduction of the no-needle ban, affirming that it was “totally legal, absolutely legal”. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on Froome’s part.