Froome to release testing data

  • 08/11/2015
Chris Froome (Reuters)
Chris Froome (Reuters)

Britain's Tour de France champion Chris Froome has said data from physiological tests that he underwent earlier this year will be published on December 3 by men's magazine Esquire UK.

Froome made the announcement via Twitter on Saturday after studying the proposed courses for next year's Olympic Games in Rio.

"As promised, I will be making the results and analysis of the independent testing I did after #TDF2015 available to the public," said Froome on Twitter.

He said sports scientists had completed analysis of tests done when he was a member of the International Cycling Union-funded World Cycling Centre in 2007 and those done at the GSK Human Performance Lab in August.

The Cycling News website said Froome's announcement followed a "contentious Twitter exchange" between his wife, Michele, and journalists Matt Slater and Paul Kimmage regarding a delay in the data's release.

Froome and Team Sky, for whom he rides, were both criticised during this year's Tour de France when data which appeared to show Froome's power, cadence, and heart-rate values from his stage-winning ride on Mont Ventoux in the 2013 Tour was posted online and later made into a video.

The video showed Froome's values fluctuating in real time and this led the likes of French performance expert Pierre Sallet and former professional Laurent Jalabert to question Froome's performances.

It was posted before Froome pulled clear of his main rivals on the first mountain finish to Pierre-Saint Martin in the Pyrenees, setting up his second overall success.

After the video's release, Froome suffered abuse during the race, when a cup of urine was allegedly thrown at him during a stage.

On the second rest day in Gap, Team Sky revealed a series of numbers concerning Froome's physiological performances, especially on the Pierre-Saint Martin climb.

The fact former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong eventually admitted to doping throughout his career in 2013, after years of denials and ruthless attacks on his accusers, has cast a long shadow over cycling.

In October, while riding in Japan's Criterium de Saitama, Froome said the doping suspicions hanging over him were "unfortunate" and "frustrating".

"It's unfortunate that's what the yellow jersey wearer of the Tour de France has to put up with," Froome said.

"If I had something to hide or I had some elaborate scheme going on then it would really bother me, it would be my whole world crashing down," he added.

"But I don't have any skeletons in the closet, I don't have anything to genuinely be afraid of. Yes, it's frustrating but you just have to get on with the racing and get through it."

AFP