Chris Froome wants to move on after being cleared in...
There was no sense of triumphalism from Chris Froome as he faced the Tour de France media two days after the anti-doping investigation into him was dropped.
Froome’s name has been cleared after the nine-month probe into the adverse analytical finding for salbutamol he returned while on course to victory at La Vuelta in September, and following a public trial which began when the news was leaked in December.
Facing the world’s media for the first time since, Froome repeated what he has said throughout the process – that he has done nothing wrong and always believed this moment would come.
But the Team Sky rider admitted he could understand why organisers of this race – in which he is the three-time defending champion – had moved in recent days to bar him from taking part while the case was unresolved, and that there would still be doubters he would never win over.
“Of course it has been damaging,” he said when asked about his reputation. “As it is I’m now happy to draw a line in the sand and move on.”
Froome raced under the cloud of the ongoing investigation at the Giro d’Italia in May, but put it to one side as he staged a remarkable comeback in the final week to win the pink jersey, meaning he now holds all three Grand Tour titles.
Sky team principal Sir Dave Brailsford hailed his star rider for the way he had handled himself.
“This situation has been his worst nightmare but throughout he has maintained his dignity and maintained his performance, winning the Giro and coming here to try to win the double,” he said. “He’s been exceptional.”
Grateful and relieved to finally put this chapter behind me, it has been an emotional 9 months. Thank you to all of those who have supported and believed in me throughout. pic.twitter.com/OGzsg83Gjj — Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) July 2, 2018
Team Sky have faced criticism from several quarters over the past two years, ever since the ‘Fancy Bears’ leak led to questions over Therapeutic Use Exemptions granted to Sir Bradley Wiggins, but Monday’s announcement gave some good news to Brailsford – who has faced plenty of questions about his own future.
“It was never in doubt to us that this whole thing was going to be cleared up,” he said. “Of course, people were very quick to make judgements but we’ve finally got to a point where he has been exonerated and that whole episode is over and I think he deserves a lot of credit for the way he handled that situation.
“So it is with a little bit of extra pride that I’m part of this team leading into this Tour.”
Both Froome and Brailsford faced questions as to whether they would release any of the evidence they submitted in the rider’s defence, but Brailsford said that was not up to the team.
“The people that made the decision were the UCI and WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency), not Team Sky, and I think that’s where the information about how that decision was made should come from, not necessarily ourselves,” he said.
Sir Dave Brailsford File Photo
Earlier in the day, Sky had released plenty of other data, relating not to the salbutamol matter but to Froome’s stunning victory on stage 19 of the Giro, which set him up for overall victory.
BBC Sport published a large tranche of data released by the team relating to Froome’s preparation for the stage, and his refuelling plan and power output during it.
With the anti-doping investigation behind him, if perhaps not all of its ramifications, Froome’s next challenge is trying to become the first man to do a Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998 – a mission that begins with stage one from Noirmoutier-en-l’Ile to Fontenay-le-Comte on Saturday.
“I think this year’s race is going to be the biggest challenge of my career,” he said.
“It’s a massive goal for me, trying to target a fifth win here and fourth Grand Tour consecutively and the Giro-Tour double. It’s something I’ve never done before so it’s completely unknown to me.”