Frrome to test Contador?
Upset with anti-doping officials for a lack of anti-doping tests on Tenerife where he and two Tour de France rivals train, Chris Froome has offered to administer the tests himself.
According to a source within Team Sky, the reigning Tour champion informed authorities that he is pretty skilled with talking blood and can handle a urine sample with the required precision.
“Chris thinks that’s just the simplest solution, really. He and Contador and Nibali are all in the same hotel so why not just get it done,” said Sky carer Willem Laff. ”
Froome has apparently requested the testing kits from both the UCI and WADA and assured them the volunteer work he did in a South African hospital as a teenager was more than adequate to deal with the rigorous testing protocols.
This highly unusual arrangement appears to have the consent of both Contador and Nibali. “Oh yeah, I mean, they hang out at the hotel together, right? Not much to do in Tenerife but climb mountains and eat pasta and sleep,” said Laff. “So Froomy pitched the idea to Nibali and Pistolero. They’re game to try.”
While his two Tour rivals may be willing to accept Froome as their high altitude anti-doping tester, the question becomes who will test Froome himself. Under one proposed scenario, Contador and Nibali would flip a coin with the winner giving Froome his test. However, a complication has arisen because the Spaniard is a bit squeamish with needles.
Then, there remains the issue of a lack of the “surprise” element. In knowing that Froome is administering the test, catching anyone off guard is surely out the window. However, Froome has made the argument that something is better than nothing and he can always wake them in the middle of the night.
“Chris is all about clean cycling and he doesn’t feel it’s right that he face the same old questions about doping when nobody is going to test on Tenerife,” said Laff. “It’s the sign of a true champion that he’s willing to take the extra steps to show he, Vincenzo and Alberto are above suspicion.”
As of this moment, the UCI and WADA have declined comment — perhaps to give the proposal more serious consideration.
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