Brailsford applauds UCI on keeping Cobo's Vuelta a Espana case confidential during proceedings
14 June 2019 07:00
Dave Brailsford was cautious not to give away too much at the start of stage 6 of the Critérium du Dauphiné when asked about the shocking news that Juan Jose Cobo would be stripped of his 2011 Vuelta a España title pending an appeal. The UCI announced on Thursday that its Anti-Doping Tribunal found Cobo "guilty of an anti-doping rule violation (Use of a prohibited substance) based on abnormalities from 2009 and 2011 detected in his Biological Passport and imposed a three-year period of ineligibility on the rider." Finishing second to Cobo was none other than Chris Froome, who burst onto the GC racing scene at the same race with second place overall. Bradley Wiggins finished third. Froome is currently in hospital as he recovers from a serious crash at the Dauphine that left him with several fractures and internal injuries.ADVERTISEMENT Speaking to ITV and Cyclingnews this morning, Team Ineos Principal Brailsford said he was also surprised by the news. "The first I heard about it was yesterday, towards the end of the day when someone phoned up and said that the UCI were about to make an announcement. That's the first I knew about it," he said. The Cobo investigation dates back to 2015 after the rider retired from professional cycling at the end of 2014. Passport cases have been retrospective in the past and have taken time to put together as they're not as simple as positive or negative drug tests. They rely on long-term data and samples taken over time. When asked about the length of time it took for the UCI to make the announcement, Brailsford said "it will all come out in the wash".
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