British Cycling have denied a rift between star riders Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish and instead argued that Cavendish had given the team a boost following his late arrival from the Tour de France.
Cavendish has been overlooked for the team pursuit alongside Wiggins and appeared to accuse the former of freezing him out of the line-up, saying he had been super stressed and “wants to be the hero and all that”.
But Iain Dyer, head coach of the team, laughed off any suggestions that a spat had emerged between the two.
“I don’t believe that for a minute,” he said. “Those guys roomed together in Newport [at the pre-Rio holding camp] for two weeks.
"Perhaps they’re just trying to get one over each other through the media, I don’t know.
“They were sitting in the track centre on Tuesday. Remember this is one big family for these guys. Cav has a massive presence and always has a good word for everyone.”
Cavendish was angry after leaving the Tour early to focus on the team pursuit only to be overlooked. But Dyer said of his arrival: “I would say it’s given a buzz.”
