Tuesday 24 July 2018 17:59, UK
Team Sky chief Sir Dave Brailsford has hit out at Tour de France organisers for failing to stop "intimidating" abuse of his riders and staff.
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas and reigning champion Chris Froome are in first and second place as the race heads into the Pyrenees for three consecutive mountain stages, starting on Tuesday.
However, the 2018 Tour has been marred by spectators spitting at Froome, and Thomas has been booed while on the podium.
Some of Team Sky's staff have also faced abuse and Brailsford said he did not expect it to stop, claiming organisers' inability to take effective counter-measures had compromised the race's reputation.
"The Tour de France is promoted as the world's greatest annual sporting event. If that's the case, then maybe treat it with a bit more respect," Brailsford said.
"If you don't want international teams to come, you can have a Tour de France for French teams. That's the way I see it really.
"We're trying to remain dignified, we're trying to not get distracted by it.
"I don't think spitting and throwing things really has a base in professional sport, nor in everyday life."
Froome was initially barred from starting his title defence by organisers because of an "adverse analytical finding" for the asthma drug salbutamol at the 2017 Vuelta a Espana only for the International Cycling Union (UCI) to clear Froome to race days before the start of the Tour de France.
Brailsford added: "Chris' case was open when we raced in Italy. And they were fantastic, the Italians (fans).
"It seems to be the thing that's done here. It just seems to be a French thing. A French cultural thing really.
"I'm not sure they would like to have seen their (France) football players being spat at (the World Cup) in Russia.
"I'm sure there would have been a word or two about that. But it's OK to spit at us and our staff? It's very, very intimidating.
"It's a shame, but we're not going to let it distract us."
