Froome moves
forward with
season plans
Chris Froome will start his 2018 season at
the Ruta del Sol (February 14-18). His return
will prove controversial as figures within the
sport have called for him to be suspended
from racing pending the outcome of his
salbutamol case.
The race marks the start of the Team Sky
man’s preparation for the Giro d’Italia while
lawyers and medical experts continue to work
behind the scenes to clear his name.
Froome has spent the early part of the year
training in South Africa, and travels to Europe
to begin his 2018 season in southern Spain,
where he took victory in 2015.
Team Sky have faced calls from the
likes of UCI president David Lappartient
to voluntarily suspend Froome while the
investigation into his adverse analytical
finding at the 2017 Vuelta a España is
concluded, but have apparently decided
against taking this course of action.
Froome has denied breaking anti-doping
rules which allow athletes to take a maximum
of 800mg of salbutamol per 12 hours, and,
with Team Sky’s backing, has vowed to clear
his name.
“I’m confident that we will be able to get
to the bottom of what has happened and
I’m working hard with the team to do that,”
Froome said.
“I completely get why
there has been
so much interest
and speculation.
“I hope that
people will
appreciate
there are limits
to what I can say
whilst the process
is still ongoing but no
one is keener than me
to move things forward
as quickly as possible.”
Cycling Weekly | February 8, 2018 | 11