Team Sky boss claims spitting and booing aimed at riders is a 'French thing' and warns: 'respect us or riders won't return'

Brailsford says the treatment being meted out to his Chris Froome and the rest of Team Sky is unacceptable. Photo / AP

Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford believes the spitting, booing and physical intimidation to which his riders have been subjected at this Tour de France is a phenomenon particular to "French culture", adding that unless French fans start to "respect top international teams" they may find they do not come any more.

Speaking on the Tour's final rest day on Monday ahead of the first of five Pyrenean stages which will decide the race, Brailsford said the treatment being meted out to his team was unacceptable.

"I don't think it's going to stop," he said. "I'm not too optimistic on that front. We're trying to remain dignified, we're trying not to react and we're trying not to get distracted by it. But I don't think spitting and throwing things has a place in professional sport.

"I'm not sure it's got a place in everyday life but it seems to be the thing that's done here. It's a shame but we're not going to let it distract us."

Team Sky - who have dominated the Tour in recent years while at the same time finding themselves at the centre of a number of controversies - are unpopular with swathes of cycling fans, particularly in France. One fan was arrested on Alpe d'Huez last Thursday for allegedly punching Chris Froome, while another pushed him as he rode past.

Most of Team Sky's riders and staff have been booed and spat at during the race, with Froome – whose long-running salbutamol case was thrown out on the eve of the Tour – far from the only target. Brailsford said it seemed to be "a French thing".

"It's interesting that we've just done the Tour of Italy and Chris's case was [still] open and the Italians were fantastic," he said. "It just seems to be a French thing. Like a French cultural thing. I'm not sure they'd have liked their football players being spat at in Russia. I'm sure there would have been a word or two about that. But it's OK to spit on us, and on our staff. Emma Kennaugh [a junior press officer] is 21. She's trying to drive around France and it's very intimidating for her, to be spat at.

"Personally I'd have a bit of an issue if that was going on in my country, but there we go. We'll just carry on."

Relations are unlikely to be improved by the disqualification on Sunday night of Gianni Moscon, one of Sky's eight riders, for punching a young French rival.

"It's certainly not going to calm people down," conceded Brailsford who said he had "some information" as to what had caused Moscon to lose his head but was "not going to dwell on it now".

"The Tour de France is promoted as the world's greatest annual sporting event and if you want the best international riders to come to your country then maybe treat them with a little more respect," he concluded. "If you don't want them to come, you can maybe have the Tour de France for French teams - that might work. But if you want international teams to come then treat them with the same respect that you'd want your team to be treated when they go to Russia, the World Cup or wherever else."

Asked why French fans did not abuse other top international teams, Brailsford replied: "But they're not winning though, are they?"

"I'm used to it," he added. "We've had it for years. We know we're going to get stick from the crowd. We know we're going to get abuse and we know that not a lot is going to be done about it. That's part of winning. The more it happens the more you determined you get. We don't react to it. We'll smile and try and win the race."