Yes, unlike Bill Clinton, Chris Froome inhales. In fact he likes his stuff so much he has been known to inhale twice the limit he’s allowed to.
According to my Facebook timeline this morning, all hell has broken loose because of a joint Guardian / Le Monde report about Froome being busted during the Vuelta this year for taking twice the allowed amount of Salbutamol, an asthma drug that seems to be the common element in most inhalers.
Froome isn’t the only cyclist to have gone over this limit, with one rider getting away with it without any sanctions, and one getting a 12 month ban and stage wins deleted from his palmarès. Those two, incidently, had less Salbutamol in their blood samples than Froome.
You’ll be surprised to know that I didn’t actually know what Salbutamol was before breakfast this morning. Well, it’s just after lunch and I’m a new expert on it. It turns out that there isn’t any conclusive evidence that this stuff even enhances performance, other than the obvious affect it would have on an asthmatic who needs it.
But rules are rules and it appears that Sky hasn’t found away to explain this one away yet. I suppose the only question left to ask is, who do you think will win the Tour next year…?
The Vicious Cycle 
Ullrich took it. Thats what my doc always tells me, when I get my subsription. Dumoulin will win anyhow
I’m not an expert on the effects of these medications but as a former inhaler years ago, i can tell you that it opens up your lungs making it easier to breath. More specifically the alvioli.
Alveoli are tiny sacs within our lungs that allow oxygen and carbon dioxide to move between the lungs and bloodstream.
So can it be beneficial to a cyclist? Hum!
I can’t comment, having never tried it. Send me a sample and I’ll squeeze a few puffs in before Strade Bianche next March.
My doctor prescribed it when I told him I went backwards going uphill calling it exercise induced asthma. The first time I took it my Blood pressure soared to something like 200/120. Not pleasant. Did I start riding like Froome? Nope. Still go backwards uphill. And stopped using it.
You’ll need to move on to something more powerful, I think.
When I watch pro cycling, its entertainment…nothing more. If these guys want to take poisons that make them faster..its ok with me..I’ll watch them climb Ventoux in 50 minutes.. I’ll watch them time trial at an average of 65kms/hr. no problem…I’ll just have to eat my snacks faster because the stages will be over faster.
The UCI is a political body…need I say more.
In total agreement.
As a regular salbutamol user and non athletic asthma sufferer, I can guarantee that it doesn’t turn you into superman but I wish that I had discovered that I was asthmatic when I was puffing up and down hills at the back end of the field in hill races because it would have helped me to be less bad.
I guess you could enter a gran fondo up there and rip apart your age category field. But don’t forget the inhaler.
Only if there were no other contestants!
http://sportsscientists.com/2017/12/brief-thoughts-froomes-salbutamol-result/
I like the Jaksche Tweet: #neverforgetinyourcalculationthebloodbagleftovers
Read that last night. He’s always got something good to say.
The apologists cry.
Sky Lie. Excuses abound. Make sad faces…like a fucking clown.
The socio[path looks in to your eyes… I didn’t inhale he proclaims!
The sheer hypocrisy is exactly the same…as a big name cyclist we now know
has fallen from grace.
froome is a prick, a douche extraordinaire. Strip him of his cheating wins…
send him on his way, back to the land where he came from…
South Africa, all aboard for the cycling bum…
It seems you have strong feelings about this.
😀
Indeed Jerry!
I loath hypocrites. Worse yet, ARROGANT, holier than though hypocrites- froome and wiggins are some of the most egregious of that lot. Come off as clean, straight laced athletes. When they are just as deceptive and sociopathological as ALL the other top athletes…
I recommend you lyour head out of your ass and stop being a muppet lycra-fanboy worshiping false idols. 😉 #apologist #dolt
Hi Gerry, happy Xmas and New Year to you. In the 5 or 6 years I’ve been following you I’ve read nothing but civil comments. Unfortunately the one gentleman has found the wrong blog for his condition. Move along please.
Luc, same to you and yours. I’ve always taken pride in our respectful dialogue here, too. I’ve closed comments on this article now, so we can start fresh whenever I feel the urge to write my next one. Bonne fin d’année.