Video: Former Team GB cyclist Bryan Steel on why the doping rumours emerged
A former Notts Team GB cyclist who won Olympic medals with Sir Bradley Wiggins said he ‘knows’ the famous athlete never doped.
Bryan Steel won two team pursuit medals at two different Olympics with Wiggins – a bronze at Sydney 2000 and a silver at Athens 2004.
In December, Team Sky’s general manager Sir Dave Brailsford appeared in front of MPs to explain an unaccounted-for package which was delivered to Sir Bradley Wiggins before the 2011 Tour de France.
UK Anti-Doping probed Team Sky and British Cycling about the package but Sir Dave said he believed the package contained fluimicil, used to clear mucus.
However the former cyclist and anti-doping ambassador Steel says he ‘knows’ Wiggins would not have doped.
Speaking on Sports Week, he said: “Within British cycling, they have the same mindset as me as I’m very anti-doping and am an ambassador against it.
“Personally, we know Bradley very well and I know that he’s never doped; TUEs, therapeutic use exemptions that allow athletes to take banned substances, are part of the job really and sometimes you have to take medication for coughs and colds.
“I used to carry them myself but never used to take them – I just had them as a precautionary thing really.”
Bryan thinks that some of the allegations may be because members of the Team GB squad were carrying that certification around with them.
“I would imagine some of the issues surrounding Brad were with his TUEs he was carrying but he probably wasn’t taking that medication.
“There was nothing illegal – the British cycling doctor would never allow doping to happen, it’s just a case of maybe he’s got a cough and they can happen all the time in poor weather conditions.
“He may be carrying one just in case the medication was given by the doctor and he’d be carrying that certification just to prove that.”
Wiggins has always denied wrongdoing and announced his retirement from competitive cycling in December.
For more from Bryan, watch the January 18 episode of Sports Week on Notts TV at 7.30pm, or see our catch up service.
