Sir Bradley Wiggins: Sir Dave Brailsford accused of ‘disgraceful’ behaviour

Media playback is not supported on this device Sir Bradley Wiggins wants new sponsor for September British Grand Prix

Dame Nicole Cooke has called it “disgraceful” that British Cycling’s performance director Sir Dave Brailsford could offer members of the media and para-cycling a lottery-funded sponsorship deal instead of Bradley Wiggins’ appearance fee.

Brailsford told Cycling Weekly he did not regret supporting Southern Auto’s Briton Hunt, who has won 13 of the 15 stages of the National Track Championships, including the last five.

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Hunt is sponsored by Welsh cycling team Enable.

How American track star Bekki Southward (second from left) is sponsored by Squire & Partners Credit: SQUIRE & PARTNERS ONLINE/EMPICS

But Cooke, four-time Olympic champion, was dismayed Brailsford did not make the same offer to the likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins.

“You would think the biggest thing that you could do is find some sort of donation that would benefit a whole lot of people,” she told BBC Sport.

Media playback is not supported on this device The moment star man Hayley Simmonds wins Paralympic gold

“And yet, you choose to go down that route because ‘that is the only thing that is going to happen’. For me, it is just wrong, it’s quite disgraceful, and he needs to get people in one ear and out the other.”

Brailsford explained why he was unable to donate to the International Olympic Committee’s generous offer of a million-dollar payment for a single gold medal.

And he denied suggestions he was upset he did not get a deal because the National Lottery was a poor investment.

“You couldn’t necessarily invest the money in all the places where you think it should go,” he said.

“With the main cup I used to sponsor – the Tour de France – people say it was a bad investment. It wasn’t actually. The team performed brilliantly, but it didn’t allow us to do that other stuff – the Post Office, other things.”

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