ASO says it will bar Chris Froome from the Tour de France unless his doping case is settled.getty images
Tour de France organizer Amaury Sports Organisation will reportedly "refuse to let Chris Froome race in this year's event if his salbutamol case has not been resolved," according to the PA. The four-time Tour champion "returned an adverse finding for the asthma drug salbutamol during his winning ride at the Vuelta a España last year." He denied "any wrongdoing and is continuing to race this season," while his team of lawyers and scientists "work on an explanation" for the adverse sample. ASO is understood to be "confident" that it could "resist any legal challenge" from Team Sky as it has clauses in its rules about safeguarding the image of the race. This would be a "bitter blow" for Froome, who is "chasing a fourth successive victory in cycling’s most famous race and a record-equalling fifth win in total." According to its rules, the Int'l Cycling Union (UCI) could also suspend Froome, but UCI President David Lappartient said that it "did not want to do that." He said, "It's possible and it's true that we have this power. But for salbutamol, it's never been done, and we have to respect the rights of Chris Froome" (PA, 3/21).
