“We have more signings still to come. So far we’ve signed Alex Dowsett, who’s a great prologue rider and has come through the British system, we have the Spaniards, Xabier Zondo and Rigoberto Uran and Mick Rogers”
So went Team Sky’s Dave Brailsford in an interview with Velonews’s Steve Thomas. It’s in quotation marks, implying these were words were said on the record by Brailsford. Only now Sky are denying this.
It’s not a big deal for me whether Rogers has signed or not (he almost certainly has) and the reason over the revision is apparently that Rogers isn’t allowed to mention a new team until the existing contract with Highroad Sports is up.
Brailsford appears to have prematurely leaked out news of the signing and now he has to retract this. Only instead of admitting the gaff, a simple “whoops”, the Sky press officers are giving an actual denial. Which is tantamount to saying the Velonews journalist has invented the quote, a serious allegation. You don’t win friends in the media this way.
Indeed the text of the Sky press release is confusing, the headline and preamble is a denial… but the attributable quotes are more a longwinded “no-comment”. It’s not the first time Sky have had to rush out a press release out to correct something Dave Brailsford said.
- Keen readers will also note “we have the Spaniards, Xabier Zondo and Rigoberto Uran” yet Uran is Colombian.
Out of interest, who is Xabier Zondo? I've never heard of him and a google search reveals nothing immediately obvious. Can you shed some light on this?
Quickly coming to the conclusion that Dave would have been better off staying on the track…
Zondo, Tondo, Danilo Hondo or Gran Fondo?
I think it's Zando.
Yes, it's Zando of course. Although I think you guys knew that.
As I say this is not a big deal, but suggesting a journalist got their story wrong isn't something you do easily. Sky's press releases can confuse more than they clarify.
I must admit I was genuinely confused!
The Inner Ring seems to be having a big affect on me. Last night I had the most vivid dream that Rogers had definitely signed up with Sky. So convinced was I, that I had to check Sky's website to see if it was true or not!
Haha! Dave Brailsford probably had the same thing too, only you don't always get the news on the Sky website.
Everyone knows where Rogers is going, it's the worst kept secret of the transfer season. Even DB can't keep to the script. Yes we should respect the contract but once you've blurted the name out, live with it.
Or, more noble, apologise for your mistake.