Giro d’Italia chief wants cycling rule change to avoid repeat of Chris Froome saga
Cycling must change its rules to avoid a repeat of the Chris Froome saga or risk further damage to the sport, says the boss of the Giro d’Italia.
Froome is among the riders set to begin the Giro on Friday despite his anti-doping case remaining unresolved – more than seven months after a sample the Briton gave at the Vuelta a Espana showed twice the legal level of asthma drug salbutamol.
“What disappoints me is the timing of the justice procedures because if sports justice needs so much time then this points to a need to change the rules of the sport,” said race director Mauro Vegni.
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“If after seven months [governing body] the UCI hasn’t managed to make a decision then an athlete should not pay the price. This hurts the entire cycling world.”
Froome reiterated on the eve of the race that he expects to be cleared of any wrongdoing.
The 32-year-old, who won the Vuelta and Tour de France last year, is aiming to win the Giro, the sport’s other Grand Tour, for the first time.
A successful attempt would make him the first man to hold all three at the same time since Bernard Hinault in 1983.
The Giro starts in Jerusalem and spends its first three days in Israel before moving to Italy and concluding in Rome on 27 May.