Chris Froome quizzed over failed drugs test: I’ve never taken more puffs than I’m allowed
CHRIS FROOME has insisted he is desperate to get to the bottom of how he failed a drugs test during the Vuelta a Espana earlier this year - during an awkward live interview at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.
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Froome secured a rare double this year, winning the Spanish event just a few weeks after taking his fourth Tour de France.
But he now faces questions about his integrity after it emerged this week that the Brit had provided a urine sample that contained double the legally permitted amount of Salbutamol, a controlled substance he uses to treat his asthma.
Froome was nominated for BBC Sports Personality of the Year last month and appeared on the show via video link from his training camp in Mallorca.
And he insisted he was innocent in an interview with Clare Balding live last night.
“I completely get it. I understand the concerns,” Froome said.
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“I’ve been a bike rider for 10 years and I know how some people might look at our sport.
“That’s a responsibility that I take really seriously. I am an asthmatic. I have been since I was a child.
“I use a puffer to help me manage my asthma. I’ve never taken more puffs than I’m allowed.
“This is quite a horrible situation if I’m honest and we’re working as hard as we can to try to get to the bottom of this.”
If Froome can prove he took no more than the allowed dose, then he will escape punishment.
But otherwise he could face a lengthy ban and have his Vuelta title stripped, taking away his double that has only been achieved by two other cyclists in history.
“This season has been a brutal season of racing,” Froome added.
Chris Froome and Team Sky meet Mini Team Sky
Mon, July 25, 2016Chris Froome and Team Sky are welcomed home by miniature versions of the riders after the outfit won their fourth Tour de France in the last five years
Chris Froome and his fellow Team Sky members enjoyed a triumphant homecoming after the outfit were victorious in the Tour de France, posing with mini versions of the pro cyclists at their Osterly base
“The Tour de France is the pinnacle of the cycling calendar and this year was such a close race between me and my rivals.
“But standing on that podium on the Champs Elysee for the fourth time, that feeling never gets old.
“It’s such a special feeling. To go on to the Vuelta a few weeks later and win there, that was a massive challenge for me.”
