Bradley Wiggins denies claims that controversial Belgian doctor Geert Leinders had any hand in the decision to apply for permission to use a banned steroid under TUE.
The 2012 Tour de France winner and five time Olympic champion rejected claims that Leinders - who was banned last year over doping offences committed while he was with the Dutch Rabobank team between 2002 and 2009 - played any part in the decision to apply for permission to use a banned steroid to treat allergies.
Medical records released by Russian hacker group Fancy Bears showed that Wiggins has tested positive for triamcinolone.
He also moved to clarify that he observed cycling's "no needle policy" - something he had written in his autobiography - after evidence came to light that he had received injections of triamcinolone before the 2011 and 2012 Tour de France and again before the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
"Brad has no direct link to Geert Leinders. Leinders was ‘on race’ doctor for Team Sky for short period and so was occasionally present at races dealing with injuries sustained whilst racing such as colds, bruises etc. Leinders had no part in Brad’s TUE application; Brad’s medical assessments from 2011-2015 were processed by the official Team Sky doctor, and were verified by independent specialists to follow Wada, UCI and BC guidelines," a spokesperson for Wiggins said today in a statement.
"Brad’s passing comment regarding needles in the 2012 book referred to the historic and illegal practice of intravenous injections of performance-enhancing substances, which was the subject of a law change by [world cycling’s governing body] the UCI in 2011.
"The triamcinolone injection that is referred to in the Wada leaks is an intramuscular treatment for asthma and is fully approved by the sport’s governing bodies. Brad stands by his comment concerning the use of illegal intravenous needle injections."
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