Cycling is a sport with a history of cheating and scandals, which has damaged its reputation even today. Lance Armstrong was the poster boy of the sport who got caught doping. In a new era of 'clean' cycling, has Chris Froome blown the sports cover, or has he actually proven that the sport has cleaned its act up.
Chris Froome has been facing questions over an 'adverse' drug test taken during the Vuelta a Espana. Team Sky's top rider was found with double the allowed dosage of the asthma drug, Salbutamol, in his urine sample. Frome hasn't been suspended but the UCI are demanding more details from team Sky.
Salbutamol is not known as much of an enhancer but despite this, an elite athlete like Chris Froome who is a figurehead of the sport should surely not be having this thing surrounding him. It was not long ago that there were allegations of Bradley Wiggins having a mysterious package delivered to him for his own asthma problem. These have officially been dropped by the officiating bodies.
It does seem that many top athletes have asthma and seems that there could be a link between using the medication for it as a way of getting an advantage. This could just be speculation and the fact that athletes are only being caught with medication for common illness may suggest that cycling's dark ages are in its past. No longer are cyclists being caught for EPO of Blood Transfusions but instead for asthma medicine. The fact that the drugs tests are even able to pick up such a unique and small usage must give cycling fans confidence that no real enhancers are being used within the sport.
Chris Froome has been facing questions over an 'adverse' drug test taken during the Vuelta a Espana. Team Sky's top rider was found with double the allowed dosage of the asthma drug, Salbutamol, in his urine sample. Frome hasn't been suspended but the UCI are demanding more details from team Sky.
Salbutamol is not known as much of an enhancer but despite this, an elite athlete like Chris Froome who is a figurehead of the sport should surely not be having this thing surrounding him. It was not long ago that there were allegations of Bradley Wiggins having a mysterious package delivered to him for his own asthma problem. These have officially been dropped by the officiating bodies.
Is there anybody at Team Sky who doesn't have asthma?— Oliver Holt (@OllieHolt22) December 13, 2017
It does seem that many top athletes have asthma and seems that there could be a link between using the medication for it as a way of getting an advantage. This could just be speculation and the fact that athletes are only being caught with medication for common illness may suggest that cycling's dark ages are in its past. No longer are cyclists being caught for EPO of Blood Transfusions but instead for asthma medicine. The fact that the drugs tests are even able to pick up such a unique and small usage must give cycling fans confidence that no real enhancers are being used within the sport.
Although the figurehead of the sport should, in my opinion, be more responsible about revealing to the public what he has done, I think the sport of cycling is cleaning up. It would look a lot less suspicious if at the time of taking Salbutamol, Froome let the press and the public know this so that an investigation now would look less suspicious. If all athletes were honest it would be ideal, but the truth is that they all want to make money and if there is money to be made there is always a chance people will cheat to get an edge on their competitors.It’s sad seeing the misconceptions that are out there about athletes & salbutamol use. My hope is that this doesn’t prevent asthmatic athletes from using their inhalers in emergency situations for fear of being judged. It is not something to be ashamed of @asthmauk #asthma— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) December 14, 2017
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