Froome to Ride Out Asthma Drug Row on Spain's Ruta del Sol
LONDON (Reuters) - Chris Froome will start his 2018 season as favorite for Spain's Ruta del Sol on Wednesday, defying calls from senior figures in world cycling to withdraw from racing over the adverse drug test result he returned last September.
The four-times Tour de France winner had twice the permissible amount of the asthma medication Salbutamol in his system after stage 18 of the Tour of Spain - a race he went on to win - but the Team Sky rider, who says he has done nothing wrong, did not receive a provisional suspension.
International Cycling Union president David Lappartient and rival riders Romain Bardetand Vincenzo Nibali have all said the British cyclist should cease racing until his case is resolved.
And pressure on Froome increased last weekend when Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF Education First - Drapac p/b Cannondale team, suggested the presence of the previous Ruta del Sol winner at the five-day event and other upcoming races will be "damaging to cycling”.
But Froome and Team Sky remain intent on the 32-year-old riding out the controversy with a full racing program, including May's Tour of Italy and July's Tour de France.
****2016 Rio Olympics - Cycling Road - Final - Men's Individual Time Trial - Pontal - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10/08/2016. Chris Froome (GBR) of United Kingdom competes.
The four-times Tour de France winner had twice the permissible amount of the asthma medication Salbutamol in his system after stage 18 of the Tour of Spain - a race he went on to win - but the Team Sky rider, who says he has done nothing wrong, did not receive a provisional suspension.
International Cycling Union president David Lappartient and rival riders Romain Bardetand Vincenzo Nibali have all said the British cyclist should cease racing until his case is resolved.
And pressure on Froome increased last weekend when Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF Education First - Drapac p/b Cannondale team, suggested the presence of the previous Ruta del Sol winner at the five-day event and other upcoming races will be "damaging to cycling”.
But Froome and Team Sky remain intent on the 32-year-old riding out the controversy with a full racing program, including May's Tour of Italy and July's Tour de France.
****2016 Rio Olympics - Cycling Road - Final - Men's Individual Time Trial - Pontal - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10/08/2016. Chris Froome (GBR) of United Kingdom competes.