Sportsmail understands UK Anti-Doping are not in possession of any documents to support Sky Doctor Richard Freeman's claim that the medicine was Fluimucil

Fluimucil would be available for around eight euros at a local French pharmacy

Why wait four days and until after the race to

Sir Bradley Wiggins might no longer be racing a bike — but the questions mount up for the first British winner of the Tour de France and his former colleagues at Team Sky.

The most damning information contained in British Cycling's response to questions put to them by MPs about the medical package delivered to Wiggins in the French Alps in June 2011 concerns the role of the courier Simon Cope.

Cope, the former British Cycling women's coach, now the boss of the Team Wiggins cycling outfit, was ordered to collect the package from the National Cycling Centre in Manchester and deliver it to Team Sky at the end of the Criterium du Dauphine race in La Toussuire.

Questions are mounting for Sir Bradley Wiggins (right) and his former colleagues at Team Sky

Wiggins confirmed his retirement from professional cycling on Tuesday with this picture

Team Sky officials say they believe the package, which remains the subject of a UK Anti-Doping investigation, contained the legal decongestant Fluimucil.

Shane Sutton, the former technical director of British Cycling who in 2011 was Team Sky's head coach and personal coach and mentor to Wiggins, said the medication was requested because the cyclist fell ill towards the end of a seven-stage race he went on to win.

'I know Brad was suffering a little bit towards the end of the Dauphine,' Sutton told the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee on December 19.

However, Cope's detailed expense forms and travel documents provided by British Cycling, which the select committee pored over on Wednesday, succeed only in making Sutton's explanation implausible.

In fact, Cope took a return train journey from Eastbourne to Manchester on June 8 to collect the package and had an overnight hotel stay at Gatwick Airport on June 11.

The next day he took a return flight to Geneva, hired a car and drove to La Toussuire to deliver the package in the now infamous jiffy bag, completing the return journey to the UK inside a day. If Wiggins was ill, why wait four days — and until the end of the race — to administer medication? Why not, as Wiggins' former doctor Prentice Steffen suggested last week, simply obtain the same medication which would cost eight euros at a local French pharmacy?

Shane Sutton said Wiggins fell ill towards the end of a seven-stage race he actually won

Sir Dave Brailsford claimed the four-day journey taken by Simon Cope was 'the easiest possible way' to get the medicine to star rider Wiggins

This somewhat conflicts with the claim by Team Sky team principal Sir Dave Brailsford that it was 'the easiest possible way' to get the medicine to their star rider.

Brailsford and Sutton both told MPs that Cope was travelling to La Toussuire anyway 'for logistical purposes'.

Yet Cope's expenses and travel documents appear to state that his flights, hotel and car hire were only booked on June 8. It certainly does not appear Cope's trip had been arranged prior to him being asked to collect the package.

This package, it now turns out, was in his possession for four days and yet he has maintained he had no idea what was in it, despite the fact that he had to courier it across international borders.

Damian Collins MP says 'more new questions seem to be thrown up' around the package

Damian Collins MP, the select committee chair, has already said Cope could be called to a follow-up hearing and in light of the evidence from his expenses that seems extremely likely.

Another troubling element of the response from British Cycling was their inability to deliver, as promised, documentary evidence to show that the medication 'administered' to Wiggins on June 12 was Fluimucil.

Bob Howden, the British Cycling president, said he would meet the select committee's request to provide 'exact details' of the medication ordered by Richard Freeman, the Team Sky doctor, but no further information was forthcoming.

As part of a communication that contained a covering letter and nine separate documents, British Cycling explained their issue with providing documentary evidence.

No further information was forthcoming on the 'exact details' of the medication ordered by Team Sky doctor, Dr Richard Freeman

'To fully investigate this matter now would require British Cycling to access documents and information currently locked down by UKAD investigators,' said the note from British Cycling.

'Further this would also require British Cycling to interview members of staff and other individuals subject to the investigation which would be contrary to UKAD's instruction.

'However, to acknowledge evidence given to the select committee and to share our understanding, which we were able to establish before the UKAD investigation began, without compromising the investigation, we know Simon Cope travelled to La Toussuire in June 2011 with a medical package which we understand to be Fluimucil for Team Sky.'

Wiggins is pictured alongside Mark Cavendish, celebrating victory in Belgium last month

However, Sportsmail understands UKAD are not in possession of any documents to support Freeman's claim that it was Fluimucil, even though, as UKAD stated last week, it is not licensed in the UK and would therefore require a prescription.

It is, though, readily available on the continent. This newspaper found there were four pharmacies in La Toussuire that stock the medication for about eight euros. But the total cost of Cope's trip was just under £600.

Freeman and Wiggins could now be called back to appear before the select committee.