Dave Brailsford has revealed he has undergone surgery for prostate cancer. The 55-year-old Team Ineos principal, who led Britain’s domination of cycling at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, had surgery last month after the diagnosis in July.
He told the Times: “There’s bound to be fear. It’s the great unknown. I think I’m resilient, tough. I can put up with a lot but in hospital one day I was overwhelmed, to be honest.”
Brailsford, who will find out on Saturday whether surgery was successful, continued: “It’s easy to think: ‘Why is it happening to me?’ I’ve worked hard on my health so you can get bitter, angry, frustrated. I had to learn to accept it. Talking about it among the team was a massive help.”
Brailsford, who has delivered seven Tour de France successes in the past eight years, says he has found a new appreciation for life: “I work really hard, I charge around. Some might say I am obsessive. I can lose perspective and get very focused on small things. Now I just want to enjoy it more.”
Chris Froome, meanwhile, is hoping to be back competing before the end of the year and has set his sights on Tour de France and Olympic glory in 2020.
The four-times Tour winner suffered a series of injuries in a high-speed crash before stage four of the Criterium du Dauphine in France in June.
The 34-year-old Team Ineos rider damaged his ribs, lung, neck, hip, elbow and leg when he ploughed into a wall at more than 33mph. He still cannot walk without crutches, although he is “partially” load bearing, but has set his sights on a return to racing this year.
He told the Daily Telegraph: “It would be great to be able to do some of those post-season events that I typically do in the off-season. Just to get back into the pro scene again. It would be great if I could do something before January.”
A fifth Tour title remains in Froome’s sights and he is also targeting gold at next year’s Olympics.
He added: “I’m grateful to be alive. Now I’ve got to give it everything. Both the TT and the road race in Tokyo look very appetising … it should be an extremely gruelling race. And coming a week after doing the Tour – assuming I’m doing the Tour – it’s almost perfect. I’d like to throw my hat in the ring for both.
“As for the Tour, going for a fifth title off what was potentially a career-ending crash – that would be even bigger. Loads of people came out after the crash and said: ’He’s done, he’ll never win another Tour.’ They only spur me on.”
