Froome backs Brailsford, says Team Sky has 'evolved' from early days

Chris Froome has said that he backs Sir Dave Brailsford as team principal and that Team Sky’s practices have “evolved” since its early days.

A Commons Select Committee this week said that an "ethical line" had been crossed by Team Sky in using drugs not just for medical need but also to enhance riders’ performance.

The committee’s report said Brailsford must "take responsibility for these failures," but speaking to the BBC at Tirreno-Adriatico, Froome expressed his support. Asked whether he completely backs Brailsford remaining in his role, he replied: "Yes I do."

Without going into specifics, Froome went on to suggest that practices had ‘evolved’ and that the team now went about its business in a slightly different way.

"From the conception of the team back in 2010, there have been a lot of things that have changed, a lot of procedures and checks that have been put in place since then."

UCI president David Lappartient has said that the governing body should open an investigation into Team Sky to address the allegations contained in the select committee report. He has also said that Froome should voluntarily suspend himself from racing until his own ongoing salbutamol case is resolved.

Froome was also asked about recent comments made by former Sky coach Shane Sutton, who has called for Sir Bradley Wiggins and Dr Richard Freeman to explain the former’s use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs).

Froome claimed not to have been following that aspect of the story, saying only: “I haven’t seen Shane in years.”