|
The four-time Tour de France winner, who denies
breaking any rules, could potentially be stripped of his Vuelta
a Espana title after a urine test he took during the race in
September showed excessive levels of Salbutamol.
"I can't really see how Froome can race as if nothing was going
on," Frenchman Bardet, who finished runner-up to the Briton in
2016 and third last year, told sports daily L'Equipe.
"Since (Froome's team) Team Sky are doing nothing, nothing
prevents their rider from taking a step back until there is a
decision from the authorities."
Froome has said he would provide whatever information world
cycling governing body UCI required.
Salbutamol is permitted as a legal asthma drug by the World
Anti-Doping Agency and the UCI said Froome's failed urine test
did not necessitate a mandatory provisional suspension even if
analysis of his urine sample showed a concentration of 2,000
nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml), double WADA's threshold.
However, riders have been banned for excessive use of it in the
past, notably Italian Alessandro Petacchi, who was given a
12-month suspension and stripped of his five stage victories in
the 2007 Giro d'Italia.
"Will the UCI have the means to shed light on this case? Will
experts manage to prove that it is possible to have such high
natural levels (of Salbutamol)?" Bardet added.
"I have a hard time imagining that a rider with such a high dose
of Salbutamol can be cleared. Otherwise, why set a limit?"
Bardet also hopes that the UCI will reach a conclusion before
the start of the Tour de France in less than six months.
"Otherwise, it would be catastrophic for the image of the race
and the image of cycling. It would be a farce," the AG2R-La
Mondiale rider said.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by John O'Brien)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
