Brailsford in 'horrible place' after Wiggins exclusion

Dave Brailsford before stage two of the 2014 Paris-Nice

The normally cool and collected Sir Dave Brailsford said that he is in a 'horrible place' following the exclusion of Sir Bradley Wiggins from the Sky's Tour de France team.
"From an emotional point of view, it was horrible. It's a horrible, horrible, horrible place to find myself in," Sky's team boss told BBC Sport. "I'm not going to lie, contrary to popular opinion I have got some emotions."
He gave the OK to a nine-man team that did not include the 2012 winner but one built around Sky's 2013 winner, Chris Froome. Froome can count on Richie Porte, David Lopez, Mikel Nieve, Vasil Kiryienka, Danny Pate, Geraint Thomas, Xabier Zandio and Bernhard Eisel.
Wiggins raced last with Froome at the World Championships in Florence and followed a different programme since winning the 2012 title. This year, he placed ninth in Paris-Roubaix and won the Tour of California but did not seem to be on the Tour de France path when he skipped both the team's altitude camps in Tenerife.
Brailsford confirmed his exclusion last Friday and left Wiggins to race the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and possibly the Vuelta a España. He explained that he had to put his emotions aside when selecting the nine.
"Of course it's difficult. It's a challenging one, because on the one hand I've got to do my job and think about how to win," Brailsford said.
"You take all the emotion out of it and you look at the logic and you figure out what it's going to take to win. I've done that for a long time now and it's stood us in very good stead. We've dominated two Olympic Games with that mentality, we've won two Tour de France's with that mentality and I'm not going to change now."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Brailsford met Wiggins at a young age, worked with him on the track and helped him to gold medals in the Olympics. On the other hand, he only seriously began helping Froome when the team signed him from Barloworld for its 2010 debut season.
Over the last three seasons, Froome has proven Sky's golden ticket. He placed second to Wiggins in 2012. In 2013, he won most of the stage races he participated in en route to the Tour title. This year has been rockier for the Kenya-born Brit, but still convincing enough to allow him absolute leadership when the race departs from Sky's backyard on Saturday.
"It was a very, very difficult decision. But ultimately I've got to stick with what got us to this point in time," Brailsford added.
"From a performance point of view, from a professional point of view it's straightforward, but from a personal point of view it kept me awake at night, that's for sure."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Tom Pidcock to ride Giro d'Italia - 'I’m motivated to make the most of it'
Briton's Q36.5 team one of four wildcard invites to this year's Giro after wildcard ruling
By Adam Becket Published
-
Tom Pidcock’s Q36.5 receive Giro d’Italia wildcard invite along with Tudor Pro Cycling
Team Polti Visit Malta and VF Group BardianiCSF - Faizane also receive invitations from RCS
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'An unprecedented opportunity for brands to be part of the evolution' - Ineos Grenadiers sponsor hunt steps up with sales agency partnership
Sportfive have been employed to find "non-endemic global partners for the team"
By Adam Becket Published
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Could a TotalEnergies deal be the end of Ineos Grenadiers as we know them?
Reports suggested this week that Ineos could be close to signing a deal with the French petrochemical firm
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'They’re racing with their hearts again' - Robbie McEwen on Ineos Grenadiers' bright start to 2025
The British squad have already won four times in 2025
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers are entertaining so far this year, but how long will it last?
The British WorldTour squad have won four times already in 2025, but more than that, they have been fun. Is this the new dawn?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Caleb Ewan says he was put in a 'bad situation' by Jayco AlUla before he joined Ineos Grenadiers
Ewan joined Ineos Grenadiers in January after spending just one year with Jayco AlUla
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'There's no bull****, that's what I've always liked' - Geraint Thomas's first BC coach Rod Ellingworth on the retiring Welshman
The 2018 Tour de France winner will step away from professional cycling at the end of the season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It is time to change goals' - Egan Bernal's coach confirms Ineos Grenadiers exit
'I want to thank all the cyclists I have had the opportunity to coach over the past ten years' Xabier Artetxe says in LinkedIn post
By Tom Thewlis Published