Cyclisme : ce qu’il faut retenir du contrôle antidopage “anormal” de Chris Froome.
An anti-doping drug test carried out on Chris Froome during the Vuelta in Spain on the 7th Sept revealed a concentration of twice the allowable level. He says it was for his asthma!
Le cycliste britannique a fait l’objet d’un contrôle antidopage, le 7 septembre, qui a révélé une concentration de salbutamol deux fois supérieure au seuil autorisé. Il se défend en affirmant qu’il a pris un médicament contre l’asthme.
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Dopage ou médication ? Le cycliste britannique Christopher Froome, quadruple vainqueur du Tour de France, a fait l’objet d’un contrôle antidopage “anormal” lors de la 18e étape du Tour d’Espagne 2017, une course qu’il a remporté en septembre dernier. C’est la première fois que le champion, qui pourrait perdre son titre de vainqueur de la Vuelta, est cité dans une affaire de soupçons de dopage médical. En revanche, il avait déjà dû faire face aux soupçons de dopage technologique après sa démonstration dans la montée de La Pierre-Saint-Martin, deux ans après un numéro comparable au mont Ventoux.
Enhanced performance drug or for medication? The British cyclist, Chris Froome, four times winner of the Tour de France, showed ‘abnormal’ levels of salbutamol (Ventolin) during the 18th stage of the Tour of Spain 2017, which he won eventually. It is the first time that the champion, who could lose his title as winner of the Vuelta, was cited for suspicion of medical doping. None the less, previously and recently he faced suspicions of technological doping after amazing climbing ability on La Pierre-Saint-Martin, two years after a comparable climb on mont Ventoux in the Alps.
Christopher Froome doit maintenant expliquer ce résultat anormal devant les officiels de l’antidopage, après avoir expliqué qu’il était la conséquence de l’utilisation d’un produit contre l’asthme, dont il souffre depuis l’enfance.
His excuse is that he observed doctor’s advice in the use of the inhaler which is for his asthma, which he’s had since childhood.
(Opinion: I know guys who also used inhalers all their sporting (sic) life, and especially when they played rugby).
What will happen now? Will WADA backslide because it is Froome and Sky who are now under suspicion?
In 2007 Alessandro Petachi got a one year ban for a similar amount of salbutamol found in a sample.
In 2006 Floyd Landis was banned and stripped of the the Tour for an excessive level of testosterone found in a sample (The same level was permitted in recent and previous tours).
In 2010 Alberto Contador was stripped of the Tour for clenbuterol being found in a sample. He was tested after the Pyrenees climb Tourmalet (which I witnessed in person). He made the mistake of saying he must have picked up the chemical in ‘Jambon de Bayonne’. A big mistake. He was in the backyard of the Basque region when he accused the local farmers of using contaminated meat! Bad move Al….
There are plenty of precedents, but my guess is that Sky money will get Froome off the hook. We could be looking at another Lance Armstrong scandal. Watch out for Froome wearing a yellow wrist band… He rode in the Discovery team with Armstrong. He learned from the master…
