Thursday 21 July 2016 18:52, UK
Sir Dave Brailsford believes Chris Froome's domination of the Tour de France has been helped by rival teams and riders not bringing their “A game” to the race.
Froome led the Tour by 3min 52sec with three stages remaining and appears almost certain to seal a third Tour triumph in Paris on Sunday.
Although second-placed Bauke Mollema and third-placed Adam Yates have ridden well, Nairo Quintana has underwhelmed and the challenges of Richie Porte and Fabio Aru have not materialised.
Froome has been aided by the outstanding performances of his team-mates, but Team Sky principal Brailsford said the weakness of rival teams has also been a factor.
He told Cycling Weekly: "I'm not sure that we are riding above our best. Maybe the others aren't at their best, would be my interpretation.
"It's not easy. [It's] the same for the Olympics in Rio in a couple weeks' time: the British cycling team have always managed to up their game and deliver their A game when it really matters.
"I've been to a lot of tournaments over the years. The challenge in a big event like the Olympic Games, the World Championships or the Tour de France, is that you have to turn up with your A game, and it's not easy to turn up with your A game when it really matters."
Quintana started the race as second favourite behind Froome for victory but has ridden far below his best.
Brailsford, however, believes the Colombian has been hampered by a lack of support from his Movistar team.
He added: "They [Movistar] are a fantastic team, they are above us in the WorldTour, they have won more races than we have, they are a brilliant team, but for the moment, we have turned up with our A game."
