What is it doing right?

For a start it has a ridiculous budget. It can do what it wants; it can hire who it wants. But any joker can get a lot of money and put a team together. Sky has used its money very, very well. It’s got the structures that GreenEDGE doesn’t. And you can quote me on that.

Can you elaborate?

Sky looks after its amateur riders far better – it grooms them for life as a professional far better. I think its national team funding is so much more effective than ours. It’s got better coaches than us and certainly better riders than us at the moment.

Do you think GreenEDGE is failing Australian riders?

No, I think it’s doing a good job. I just don’t think it’s anywhere near Sky. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not having a dig at GreenEDGE. I just think there needs to be some changes. I mean, I don’t want the Poms to beat us at anything ... it’s going to hurt me to watch the Ashes.

I don’t want to see their cyclists doing it to us every year at the Tour de France. And you know what? One of our boys – Richie Porte – is on Sky. He just signed for two years during the Giro. What does that tell you?

How important is it having an Australian team in the top flight of UCI competition?

I think it’s imperative. It’s funny: GreenEDGE only started two years ago, but I can’t imagine Australian cycling without it. I couldn’t fathom it ... Look, Team Sky started two years before us. It was put together in preparation for the London Olympics, and that tied in really nicely with what it wanted to achieve on the road. Look at its results – that tells you all you need to know.

Can you see one of the GreenEDGE boys pinching a stage at the Tour?

Well, on form right now, with Sagan and Cavendish dominating the sprints, it’s going to be tough. I mean, Goss is always there – second, third, fourth – but he’s just struggling to get one across the line. And Gerrans is always a threat in the other stages. They might pull one off ... But, to be honest, they were really disappointing in last year’s Tour.