Whilst the early season dominance of Tadej Pogacar has rightfully made the headlines, a comment made by Johan Bruyneel about whether the Slovenian could maintain his form season-long has seemingly sparked into a vicious, personal, war of words.
“In the long run, killing everyone like this is not the best tactic. You want to keep some teams and riders on friendly terms, and that is also better physically," Bruyneel claimed on the podcast The Move. However, Belgian journalist and commentator Michel Wuyts took issue with Bruyneel's comments, leaping to Pogacar's defence. "Bruyneel was not an untalented rider, but was about a tenth of the Slovenian in terms of talent. So let's stop with that."
With that, what had started as a debate around Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates's race tactics had morphed into an insult-throwing contest with both Bruyneel and Wuyts determined not to allow their counterpart to have the last word. “Luckily I have an elephant memory. I personally think, Michel, that you are not the most suitable person to want to be the moral knight of cycling,” said Bruyneel.
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“Remember a little less than twenty years ago, when the US Postal team got Belgian co-sponsor Berry Floor? This Belgian sponsor insisted on being mentioned in the name of the team,” he reminisces. “However, problem, US Postal contractually had exclusive rights to the name. A typical American solution was conjured out of the hat: the team would be registered as “US Postal Pro Cycling Team presented by Berry Floor”.
At the same time, the team and the Belgian sponsor lobbied to call the team simply 'US Postal – Berry Floor' in the media and especially on TV. And Michel, do you remember when you asked for a Trek bike from the US Postal team and then oh-so-liked to mention the Belgian co-sponsor in the TV broadcasts? So, Michel, if I were you I would refrain from playing moral knight.”
As you would expect, Wuyts has wasted little time in responding to these allegations. "The use of those names was in no way controlled by the sponsors involved, but laid down in regulations. It was obvious that the name sounded often. The riders of US-Postal-Berry Floor filled the screen every day in the Tour. Armstrong was still a world star at the time,” he explained to Het Nieuwsblad.
“I emphasize that at no point did I ask for a bicycle. I didn't even think about that for a second. As an employee of a public television channel or channel, that would have been very stupid. Because it is detrimental to the image. The proposal was made to me out of the blue and, provided good agreements were made, it seemed to me to be of added value in the performance of my profession.”
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