Doping charges haunt Froome

BERLIN: Chris Froome has faced hostility at the Tour de France before and come through to win.

On the 14th stage in 2015, as he was on his way to his second Tour win, he had a cup of urine thrown at his face by a fan, who yelled “doper” at the British cyclist. An angry Froome accused a minority of fans of “ruining the race”.

Yet that is what many fans feel that persistent doping accusations are doing.

Monday’s decision by the UCI, cycling’s governing body, to clear Froome of a doping violation on the advice of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – and in the nick of time for the Tour, which begins tomorrow in the Vendee – was met with widespread incredulity.

An excessive amount of the asthma drug salbutamol was recorded in a urine sample given by Froome at last year’s Spanish Vuelta.

Australian pharmacologist Robin Parisotto, who helped develop the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation’s Biological Passport programme, told Cyclingnews that “it’s hard to comprehend how a salbutamol level that high could not constitute an AAF (adverse analytical finding)”.

But UCI president David Lappartient defended its decision, asking for Froome to be treated fairly.

“Everyone’s having a go at the UCI today, but when I get a letter from WADA on June 28 that tells me that Mr Froome’s tests show no violation of the anti-doping regulations, I don’t see how I can sanction Chris Froome in light of that,” he said.

“I understand people’s reaction but they wanted Froome’s head on a spike whether he is guilty or not,” Lappartient added.

Perhaps the image of a baying mob is far-fetched, but Team Sky are concerned enough to have bodyguards on the payroll.

On Wednesday, Froome made his first public appearance in France and appealed to the fans for fair treatment.

“If they don’t like Chris Froome they should put on the jersey of a team that they support and not bring anything negative into the race,” he said. – Reuters