Team Sky have responded to a storm of criticisms following a controversial feature of a team jersey.
On the opening stage of this year’s Tour de France on Saturday, 1 July – a 14km individual time trial in Dusseldorf – rival teams, including Française des Jeux (FDJ), accused Sky of cheating due to breaking rules surrounding garments.
'Bubble pads' featured on the upper arms of several Sky riders' jerseys and are believed by some to provide an unfair advantage.
Frederic Grappe, performance director at the FDJ team, said: "It's enhanced aerodynamics and the regulations forbid it. According to studies, the estimated gain is about four to seven percent. It's huge."
The regulations state that garments must not be adapted in any way beyond their use purely as clothing. The addition of any non-essential element or device to clothing is prohibited.
Team Sky finished the time trial with four of its riders in the top eight. Britain’s Geraint Thomas won the stage for the team, five seconds ahead of BMC’s Stefan Kung.
Team Sky sports director Nicolas Portal said they "abide by rules", adding: "Other big teams have been using it. It's legal. Everybody knows the rules. It does not give you a big advantage but it's those little things, so why not use them?
"Everything has been validated. We would not take the risk to cheat and lose everything on the first day."
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