CHRIS FROOME INSISTS that “misinformation” has led to rival riders calling for him to be suspended after recording an abnormally high level of salbutamol in a September doping test.
Froome begins his 2018 season at the Ruta del Sol today and cycling’s international governing body the UCI is yet to make a ruling on the test, taken during Froome’s successful Vuelta a Espana.
However, UCI chief David Lappartient said last month that Froome should be suspended over the adverse test and some of the rider’s main rivals have hit out at cycling authorities for failing to ban him.
Salbutamol is an anti-asthma drug which can be taken legally up to clearly defined level without an automatic ban. Froome’s test showed double the permitted level of the medication.
“There is a lot misinformation out there. There are also a lot of opinions of people who don’t quite fully understand the process,” Froome said in response to those who have called for him to be suspended pending a resolution to the case.
“But I do believe that when all the facts are out there people will see it from my point of view.”
Froome was speaking ahead of the start of the five-day race in Andalusia, his first appearance in the peloton since the revelations in December of the test result. The UCI have asked Froome to explain why twice the allowed limit showed up in his sample.
“We are working as hard as we can to try to get this resolved. No one wants this resolved more fast than I do,” added the 32-year-old.
“It’s been a difficult period now. These are not normal circumstances. Obviously this was meant to have been a confidential process, which has been made public, but we are doing our best to get this resolved now and I’m keeping my head down, I’ve been staying focused on my training and getting ready for the season ahead.”
The reaction of other riders suggested that the presence of Froome on the Ruta del Sol could provoke some resentment in the peloton. But Froome says:
“The support has been amazing and that goes for other riders as well, the support I’ve received from the peloton has just been incredible.”
Despite the criticism, Froome, who has not raced since September, starts his 2018 season in the same country where he returned the controversial test on September 7.
