With four Tours on his record, Chris Froome (Team Ineos) is looking forward to his return. Almost 11 months ago, a serious fall prevented him from playing the rest of the season. And now, the coronavirus is delaying its return to competition. The South African feels that current cyclists are "still" justifying themselves "because of the skepticism generated about the sport by the 'Armstrong case', despite the numerous anti-doping measures, and has stated that they have" nothing to hide "and that cycling is now "100 times cleaner".

"We are still justifying ourselves for that - the Armstrong case -. At least 15 years have passed and we are still talking about it. It did a lot of damage. That time has damaged the sport, but I think we have changed the page. I don't think there would have been I was able to win the Tour de France four times if it hadn't changed, "he said in a chat with former British cricket international Kevin Pietersen on Instagram.

In 2012, American Lance Armstrong was sanctioned for life by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after being shown to have resorted to "widespread and systematic" doping during his career. Among all the titles from which he was dispossessed since August 1, 1998 were seven Tour de France -between 1999 and 2005-.

"It is a challenge to overcome the negativity that comes from having to answer the same questions from skeptics year after year, who will not believe in any performance, but at the same time, what can we do? We just keep going and we know we are doing it right. We have nothing to hide, "said Froome.

In addition, he recognized that when he started as a professional, in 2008, he believed that they were going through "a good time". "I thought the crazy years were behind me, but I had the 'shock' of my life when at 23 I was put on the Tour de France . I couldn't believe what was happening. The boys were being disqualified from the race for cheating , for doping. One of my own teammates, who was sitting across from me on the team bus, was taken away in handcuffs. It was revealing, "he confessed.

"Since then, the authorities introduced the biological passport and that had a great impact. Now they are very strict with the controls. We literally have to register where we are every day of our lives so that we can be tested. I think cycling is on a great place now, "continued the four-time Tour winner.

Good relationship with Bernal

On the increase in speed during the climbs, Froome believes that technology is a great ally. "Obviously, we know what was happening 15 or so years ago. Now, sport is 100 times cleaner, but we are climbing faster than then. The best way to explain it is that, as a sport, we have evolved a lot in terms of technology, nutrition and ways of training. As athletes, we are probably better than they were 15 years ago, "he said.

In another order of things, the British spoke of his search for the fifth Tour, which he hopes to reach as leader of the Ineos. "When you get to a big lap, you want to go with a leader, and also with a backup. If that leader falls or gets sick, you have to have someone who can take over. At the end of the day, be it Bernal, Thomas or me, The most important thing is that one of us wins. If other teams win, we don't win anything. The most important thing is the team, "he warned.

Finally, he commented on his good relationship with his partner Egan Bernal , who could discuss the leadership. "Before the race starts, the team will have a good idea of ​​where we are and who has the best chance of winning. We all get along. You see that in some teams the leaders don't talk to each other and that can be toxic in some cases However, we get along well and we will make it work, "he concluded of the Colombian.

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