Free to breathe hard in the Tour de France

Abstract

In the Vuelta a España in September, 2017, a urine sample from the British cyclist Chris Froome returned an adverse analytical finding, a concentration of salbutamol higher than 1000 ng/mL, the highest concentration by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The case lasted several months, and just 2 days before the 2018 Tour de France, the case was resolved by the world governing body of cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), which considered Froome to be innocent and free to compete in the race. Controversially, similar previous cases (eg, that of Alessandro Petacchi or Diego Ulissi) led to official sanctions by the UCI. The issue is also contentious because Froome's team has not made available the scientific arguments used in his defence.