Team Sky cyclist Geraint Thomas does not believe Bradley Wiggins would go 'out of his way' to cheat

Team Sky cyclist Geraint Thomas does not think former colleague Bradley Wiggins would cheat but believes taking TUE-class drugs (therapic use exemptions) is immoral unless it is absolutely necessary. TUEs let athletes take banned substances if there is a medical need for them to do so, but Thomas is still uneasy over the topic which has dominated the cycling world for months.

Thomas, who is set to lead Team Sky at the Giro d'Italia, which kicks off on 5 May, was keen to stress that everything he does is "above board" but was reluctant to discuss the situation surrounding Wiggins.

Wiggins, the 2012 Tour de France winner, is currently under the microscope for a "mystery package" he allegedly received in 2011. But Thomas thinks that only Wiggins can say if he really did need to take the TUEs, which were approved by British authorities.

"Certainly morals and things come into it," Thomas told BBC Sport. "As long as I do everything the right way and I only have something off the doctor if I actually need it or if I'm actually injured.

"I can't speak for other riders but I just know – everything I do is 100% above board. Other than that, I don't know what else I can do. You look at my career, you can see the progression – it's not like a sudden boom and suddenly I'm going for the Giro out of nowhere.

"It's hard to say [about TUEs], especially when it comes to the whole Bradley (Wiggins) thing. Who's to say he didn't need that or he did? He's the only one who can answer that. I don't think I can really discuss it without speculating, which is the wrong thing to do."

Thomas, who is comfortable competing on both track and road, was keen to stress that he does not think Wiggins is a cheat, but says Team Sky are being criticised after making a lot of "enemies" with their brash approach to establishing themselves in the cycling world.

"At the end of the day, everything they did went through the right channels and they got it," Thomas added. "If the reason he had it was just to get an advantage or if he did need it, it's only him and the doctor who can answer that. I'd like to believe he needed it, because I've known him a long time and I know the way he is. I don't think he'd go out of his way to cheat as such.

"I think the team, certainly when we came on the scene, we were quite loud about being clean and doing this and that. That probably upset a few people. We thought we were better than them and people who were in the sport already – we made a lot of enemies there and that doesn't help. People want to bring you down and any little mistake is picked up on."