Cycling: Christopher Froome targeted in procedure after an "abnormal" doping test
According to information from the "World" and "The Guardian", the British have been subjected to an "abnormal" test on the Tour of Spain, which they won in September.
Four-time Tour de France winner Christopher Froome underwent an "abnormal" doping test on the recent Tour of Spain, according to information revealed by Le Monde and the British newspaper The Guardian, and confirmed by David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI).
This "abnormal" control should, in all likelihood, deprive him of his victory in the final classification of the Vuelta and thus cancel out the double Tour de France-Tour d' Espagne completed this summer for the first time since 1978. Uncertainty remains as to the other consequences of this control, but its participation in the forthcoming Tour d' Italie and Tour de France could be called into question.
Christopher Froome is subject to a procedure initiated by the UCI following the detection of a high concentration of salbutamol in his urine. Its lawyers, assisted by scientific experts, try to convince the international federation that it has acted in compliance with the regulations, which is why the control has still not been made public.
Salbutamol, a bronchodilator, is the active ingredient in Ventoline, a drug used to treat asthma. This substance in the "beta-2 agonists" class no longer requires the submission of a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) as of 2010, but its use is regulated: it must be inhaled at a moderate dose, so that its concentration in urine does not exceed 1000 nanograms per millilitre. Christopher Froome has far exceeded this dose: the concentration found in his urine is, according to our information, about twice the limit allowed.
A way out
However, the British, who has not been hiding since 2014 to take asthma treatments, can hope for a favourable outcome to this "abnormal" control. Christopher Froome must prove that the substance was administered to him by inhalation and at the recommended doses, but that different factors caused a higher than expected concentration in his urine.
Contacted by Le Monde and The Guardian at the end of the day on Tuesday 12 December, Sky was unable to comment on this information.
The British clan had chosen to remain silent on this control and to announce the participation of the Nairobi native in the next Tour of Italy in May 2018. Froome then had to try to win a third round in a row, marking the history of his sport.
After the Vuelta, Christopher Froome competed in the team time trial world championship and, above all, in the individual time trial, where he won the bronze medal. Has the British Cycling Federation allowed - as it has the right to do - its champion to compete with knowledge of this "abnormal" control? Le Monde and The Guardian were unable to verify this and British Cycling did not wish to comment.
The sanction: simple reprimand or suspension
It seems inevitable that Christopher Froome would lose the benefit of his victory over the Tour of Spain: indeed, as stated in the UCI regulations,"an anti-doping rule violation in connection with a test in competition automatically leads to the cancellation of the results obtained during this competition", even if the rider would convince him not to have committed any fault or negligence. The Italian Vincenzo Nibali should win his second Vuelta and fifth Grand Tour on the green carpet.
But 32-year-old Christopher Froome can still hope to win a fifth Tour de France victory in July 2018. Indeed, for a rate of salbutamol exceeding the limit, the sanction may range from a simple reprimand to a two-year suspension, depending on the assessment of the rider's fault. In several cases over the past decade or so, the suspension period has ranged from three to twelve months, but the salbutamol levels found in athletes have rarely been as high.
Any prohibition of running would begin on the date of the decision of the court of last resort, since Christopher Froome had not been provisionally suspended. This means that even if the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal were to rule quickly, the UK would have to be suspended for six months or less to expect to be at the start of the Tour, on 7 July 2018, at Noirmoutier (Vendée). It could also try to appeal suspensively to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and run pending the decision of the Supreme Court of Sport.
Christopher Froome's history of discipline, domination and spectacular progress after an insignificant start to his career led him to be the target of suspicion of doping, including mechanical. But this is the first time that it has been taken in breach of the World Anti-Doping Code, with a substance that is frequently used but subject to abuse.
Threats to Team Sky
As a sign of the hesitation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the status of salbutamol in the list of prohibited products has varied more than any other in the young history of anti-doping. The experts' lack of consensus promises to cycling a legal-scientific series reminiscent of the one that concerned Alberto Contador of Spain between September 2010 and February 2012, following a positive control of clenbuterol.
Christopher Froome's case could also poison the start of the mandate of the new French UCI president, David Lappartient. Elected on 21 September, eleven days after the arrival of the Vuelta, the latter received the same day of a burning case, while his predecessor, Brian Cookson of Great Britain, had been blamed for his alleged connections with the Sky team.
When contacted on Tuesday afternoon, David Lappartient says he "has no reason to interfere in this case." I don't know what Christopher Froome's tests are going through or what elements are in the file, which is handled independently by the legal department,"he says. I was just informed of an "abnormal" test without knowing if[the salbutamol was justified or not."
As for the Sky team, victorious in five of the last six Tours de France, they thought the clouds around them had dissipated after the British Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) closed an investigation into their former doctor and the winner of the 2012 Tour, Bradley Wiggins. Here it is again caught up in the nets of the anti-doping fight, which have been riddled with holes. If Christopher Froome were to be suspended, the very existence of the richest team in the peloton would be threatened.
