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news
Chris Froome on Alpe d'Huez (picture copyright Anne Martin)Froome explains Salbutamol case in French newspaper in bid to curb roadside abuse
Chris Froome has penned a piece for Le Monde attempting to explain why he was cleared of any wrongdoing following an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for Salbutamol at last year’s Vuelta a Espana. Education First manager Jonathan Vaughters has been among those to express concern for how the Team Sky rider will be treated by roadside fans during the Tour de France after significant booing at last night’s team presentation.
Team Sky recognise that the complexities of Froome’s case are likely to have been drowned out for many people by simpler, more headline-worthy pronouncements – such as Bernard Hinault’s suggestion that other riders go on strike if Froome starts the race.
Presumably keen to win people over, Froome writes: “I know the French public are fair minded. I know many of you will not have been following the detail of the case so I wanted to set out the facts very simply so you can reach your own judgments.
“I have suffered with asthma since childhood and, like millions of asthmatics, I use a Salbutamol inhaler to help manage the symptoms. Towards the end of the Vuelta I experienced acute worsening of my asthma and increased the number of puffs under medical guidance. I know exactly what the rules are and how many puffs I am allowed to take. I also know I am going to be tested at the end of every stage when I am in the leader’s jersey – indeed, I was tested 23 times during the Vuelta. And it is also worth pointing out that there is no performance benefit from using an asthma inhaler. It is purely a medical treatment.”
Froome says that it is possible to take the same amount of Salbutamol every day and to have very different readings. “There doesn’t seem to be a reliable correlation between what you inhale and what you excrete. We also know that a reading can be significantly affected by dehydration. I was not twice the limit as has been reported. Rather, I was just under 20% over, after dehydration was taken into account.”
He then draws people’s attention to the recent comments made by Ken Fitch, the man responsible for Wada’s Salbutamol test, who says he made a ‘terrible blunder’ when calculating the threshold for an abnormal finding.
Expressing frustration at how long things have taken, Froome also manages to find a positive in the famously drawn-out nature of the case. “The time it has taken should give everyone confidence of just how thoroughly [the World Anti-Doping Agency and the UCI] have done their job,” he says.
The impact of Froome’s words remains to be seen. The public reception for Team Sky at the team presentation would imply he faces an additional uphill struggle on top of all of those in the route book.
Vaughters told the Guardian that if he were at Team Sky, he would be concerned.
Referencing Tour organiser ASO’s aborted attempt to exclude Froome before the UCI announced its decision, he said: “Reading comments on social media from people saying, ‘Since justice wasn’t served, by the UCI and Wada, we’ll serve it from the side of the road’, that’s basically an outright threat. And it does feel ASO fired things up when it’s their responsibility to protect them.”
Elaborating on his concerns, he added: “The amount of vitriol and anger directed at Sky is pretty impressive. The barriers need to go further down the mountain climbs, but you can’t barrier 200 kilometres of open road.”
In his Le Monde message, Froome bemoans the fact that his test result was leaked, saying: “Every year, other athletes are notified of AAFs, explain them and have the issue dropped. The difference in my case is that this confidential process was unfortunately leaked and became public.”
Vaughters goes further, saying: “In this case, it was public, which is really unfortunate and whoever leaked it — because somebody inside the UCI leaked it — it’s just nasty, vindictive behaviour to do that.
“It doesn’t actually allow the system to work in the way that it should in a case involving a restricted substance, as opposed to a banned substance.”
However, he believes that now that it has all played out in public, it would be best if Wada’s reasoning became common knowledge too.
“It shouldn’t have been leaked in the first place, but it was, so live with it and now release all the information. Both sides should come to an agreement and release all the pertinent information.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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28 comments
LOL - what the hell is your problem, @JF69?
"Sphincter burning" much, dumb ass?
You came into this threqad with a bullshit comment.
Instead of backing down, or accepting that there had indeed been other incident, you decided the best way to tackle your head up the arse statement was to belittle others who had been attacked then try taking the man and not the argument. My suggestion is that you crawl back under whichever fucking stone you live. There's a Grand Prix on TV which I'd like to watch. Me entiendes, capullo?
If you say so, now calm down petal, you seem to be getting your knickers in a twist over the whole think. If you don't give a shit about Froome, why do you give a shit what I think? And why can't you calmy put your point over without sounding like an incoherent prick.
TBF, that should've been JF69's response, but it's rude to speak with a mouthful.
Anyway. Looking forward to first ride out with the Movistar jersey tomorrow (it was a freebie).
I'm not at the Tour, but 'good' fans can help police this by photographing any dick heads attempting to abuse Froome.
I would also like to see these same abusing fans getting their comeuppance, but could never condone violence off course!
What about fans that abuse riders other than froome? Can and should "good" fans also take photos of them?
You mean like throwing piss at their face? Of course it should be reported, but till now such vile attacks were all done on Froome, so any "what about others" is just pointless to say the least.
Oops!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNw0Lid_fmQ
Shouldn't that be reported too, & serious legal proceedings brought against that person?
Granted it's not somebody throwing piss at that cyclist, or racial abuse (those vile attacks were all done on Froome), but it's still serious.
I knew that would be your response. And that's why I didn't post the picture of Contador being abused by a surgeon.
I knew that response would piss you off & give yourself away: it's OK if Froome is abused in any manner during the TdF because others have received the occasional harassment because…salbutamol.
WTAF? That's a pretty fucked up reply on so many levels. This Froome walks on water and can do no fucking wrong is getting pretty hilarious now, and somewhat pathetic. I'm not going to get into another borefext with another Froome cocksucker. Chao!
No, it's just that you're an entitled tool who thinks he knows more about such issues than anyone else, & thus your well trained posterior burns like mad that it didn't go your way.
Oh, it's "ciao" not Chao, that's a last name.
But that's the whole point, isn't it? I don't think I have any more info than anyone else, I have decided that there could be many more AAFs that have not been made public, I have decided that it is possible that he has had much higher doses (after all the test is unreliable), I have decided that I don't think he's innocent based on the inconclusive evidence that has been put forward. You have decided that he is innocent, which I can live live, I'm not the one having a pop a people, well maybe the thick ones. Obviously you can give me chapter and verse of the tests that proved his innocence, can't you? If not, shut the fuck up.
Por cierto, se escriben "ciao" como "chao", no "ciao" en España tonto.
Gets the thick twats every time.
And on the back of that. I will be putting my support behind Alejandro, Nairo and the Movistar team for the tour.
Chao!
.
[/quote]
WTAF? That's a pretty fucked up reply on so many levels. This Froome walks on water and can do no fucking wrong is getting pretty hilarious now, and somewhat pathetic. I'm not going to get into another borefext with another Froome cocksucker. Chao!
[/quote]
No, it's just that you're an entitled tool who thinks he knows more about such issues than anyone else, & thus your well trained posterior burns like mad that it didn't go your way.
Oh, it's "ciao" not Chao, that's a last name.
[/quote]
But that's the whole point, isn't it? I don't think I have any more info than anyone else, I have decided that there could be many more AAFs that have not been made public, I have decided that it is possible that he has had much higher doses (after all the test is unreliable), I have decided that I don't think he's innocent based on the inconclusive evidence that has been put forward. You have decided that he is innocent, which I can live live, I'm not the one having a pop a people, well maybe the thick ones. Obviously you can give me chapter and verse of the tests that proved his innocence, can't you? If not, shut the fuck up.
Por cierto, se escriben "ciao" como "chao", no "ciao" en España tonto.
Gets the thick twats every time.
And on the back of that. I will be putting my support behind Alejandro, Nairo and the Movistar team for the tour.
Chao!
[/quote]
You don't have any more info than anyone else, yet you "decides that" & "decided that"....what a self-entitled raging mad hypocrite.
I don't have an opinion on whether he's innocent or not, but he's innocent until proved otherwise by experts far more qualified than any of those present here, & it's presumptiously asinine to pretend to know more than they do.
Go & pull at your toy, or whatever you do when you're not on a bike....if you're ever on a bike. Feel free to concoct your usual mental masturbatory fantasy of Froome nailing you on the Sestriere if it makes you happy, you seem to have fixation about him.
Si scrive "ciao" in italiano, la lingua parlata nel paese che ha ospitato l'ultimo gran tour, stronzo bimbiminchia, se tiri fuori la testa dal sedere saprai che il spagnolo non c'entra una beata minchia.
TBF the boy had a learning disability. It had nothing to do with any rider. Might have been better quoting Merckx getting punched in '75 or Roche having to be protected from the tifosi in '87 after he did the dirty on Visentini.
I did not limit my comments to Froome only.
ANY cyclist abused by dick heads should be 'dealt' with. Be it by reporting to Police via photos or otherwise.
"You mean like throwing piss at their face? Of course it should be reported, but till now such vile attacks were all done on Froome, so any "what about others" is just pointless to say the least."
All done on Froome and only on him? Really?
The slow beardy bloke is back!
Saw me on the South Downs yesterday then?
He's innocent until something is actually proven, so he should be treated like any of the other athletes, fairly. Threats from the sidelines and such are totally out of order, allow them all to compete fairly. We don't don't need self-appointed vigilantes applying their own brand of "justice" to whoever they don't like.
Anyone who deliberately does anything that impedes an athlete is as bad as any drugs cheat who competes.
I have never known a sport which likes chucking the mud as much as cycling. So far, none has managed to stick to Froome (or team sky) - which makes them something of an oddity in this sport!
I am really getting sick and tired of all the wailing and armchair/internet sluthing going on - it really is time for all the shut up and enjoy the sport untill an actuall crime comes to light.
Froome gets booed. Nothing new Froome gets urine thrown in face.Business as usual.
This shit is boring AF.
This sideshow could well overshadow the main event.
It was certainly uncomforatble to watch, I felt qutite sorry for "G" and the others. As I am not in possession of all the facts. Given that he has been cleared and even WADA appear to cast some doubt on the effectivness of their own test, I shall leave it up to those with either access to all the information or a crystal ball to judge Mr Froome. However I fully expect there to be plenty of people standing at the side of the roads that will judge the man without either.
Don't let the truth get in the way of a good lynching......
Froome explains Salbutamol case to cycling website users in bid to curb forum abuse.