Sky under fire for 'hogging' Tour de France hotel car parks
FDJ team boss says Sky's fleet of Tour de France vehicles fills up hotel car parks and "lacks basic etiquette"

Team Sky's bus

Team Sky's fleet of vehicles block hotel parking lots and is disrespectful, say some rival Tour de France teams. Its addition of motorhomes, for staff, plus a new kitchen truck pushed the envelope. Manager Marc Madiot of rival team FDJ said that Chris Froome's team "lacks basic etiquette".
Sky was one of the last teams to buy a kitchen truck, it debuted it at the Giro d'Italia. At the same time, it rolled out a motorhome for Richie Porte to sleep in. It aimed to minimise the stress and hygiene problems that come with sleeping in different hotel rooms every evening for a three-week Grand Tour. It wanted to continue to use it for Froome in the Tour de France.
The UCI barred motorhomes and said the cyclists must sleep in organiser-provided hotels, but Sky's fleet continues to roll ahead in the Tour this month. The kitchen truck remains - Principal David Brailsford invited journalists in for a coffee - and three motorhomes house team staff.
With staff sleeping in the parking lot, Sky's nine cyclists are able to spread out and have their own hotel rooms instead of sharing two per room as other teams.
The extra vehicles are too much for some, however. In the last few days, teams Europcar and LottoNL-Jumbo complained that they did not have enough space to park their vehicles when sharing hotels with Sky. French paper L'Equipe ran a spread on the issue in Monday's edition.
"It's really not easy with all the additional vehicles from team Sky," LottoNL sports director, Frans Maassen told Het Nieuwsblad newspaper.
>>> Richie Porte upset over UCI’s move to block motorhomes at races
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"We slept the previous night together in the same Mercure in Lisieux. Sky had three mega-campers. They had them parked long before even one car or truck of ours had arrived. It does not work, of course. "
Madiot told L'Equipe that Sky needs to have "some basic etiquette" when considering motorhomes and trucks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lATvwQTH1_8
Video: Team Sky takes you through the fleet of vehicles it used during the 2015 Giro d'Italia
Brailsford was surprised that the problem came up in the press before his fellow general managers approached him about it.
"Lotto arrived at the same time as our guys in the hotel and they had the choice of where to park and everyone agreed that they have that area and we had an area over there. Everyone was happy, 'Yes, how are you doing, Dave? Everything’s all right?'
"And then you read in the newspaper that they are having a moan," Brailsford said this afternoon after a press conference with Froome.
"It makes it difficult to work with people like that. I don't have respect for that, my philosophy is to take the problem to the person, I wouldn't smile in your face and then talk about it in the press. I don't have much respect for that really."
It appears too late now, but with the problems teams are having finding space, the UCI may be forced to introduce a new rule before cycling's next major tour, the Vuelta a España.
Video: Secrets of the toolbox - Team Sky
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Gear up for your best summer of riding – Balfe's Bikes has up to 54% off Bontrager shoes, helmets, lights and much more
Supported It's not just Bontrager, Balfe's has a huge selection of discounted kit from the best cycling brands including Trek, Specialized, Giant and Castelli all with big reductions
By Paul Brett
-
7-Eleven returns to the peloton for one day only at Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Uno-X Mobility to rebrand as 7-Eleven for Sunday's Monument to pay tribute to iconic American team from the 1980s
By Tom Thewlis
-
'It can really push me along' - How a velodrome comeback is making Caleb Ewan faster on the road
Australian says he'll "definitely" continue track work after rekindling passion
By Tom Davidson
-
Could Caleb Ewan be Ineos Grenadiers' first Tour de France sprinter since Mark Cavendish? 'That's my goal'
"All I can do is try to win as much as possible and prove that I deserve to be there," says Australian
By Tom Davidson
-
'An unprecedented opportunity for brands to be part of the evolution' - Ineos Grenadiers sponsor hunt steps up with sales agency partnership
Sportfive have been employed to find "non-endemic global partners for the team"
By Adam Becket
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
By Tom Thewlis
-
Could a TotalEnergies deal be the end of Ineos Grenadiers as we know them?
Reports suggested this week that Ineos could be close to signing a deal with the French petrochemical firm
By Tom Thewlis
-
'They’re racing with their hearts again' - Robbie McEwen on Ineos Grenadiers' bright start to 2025
The British squad have already won four times in 2025
By Tom Thewlis
-
Ineos Grenadiers are entertaining so far this year, but how long will it last?
The British WorldTour squad have won four times already in 2025, but more than that, they have been fun. Is this the new dawn?
By Adam Becket
-
Caleb Ewan says he was put in a 'bad situation' by Jayco AlUla before he joined Ineos Grenadiers
Ewan joined Ineos Grenadiers in January after spending just one year with Jayco AlUla
By Tom Thewlis