MADRID: Chris Froome returns to competition on Wednesday in the Ruta del Sol but he will be riding under a cloud after the revelation in December of an abnormal doping result.

Froome has the right to ride because salbutamol, the substance that showed up in the test, is an anti-asthma drug which can be taken legally and so does not lead to an automatic ban.

Cycling’s international governing body (UCI) still has to make a ruling on the case and has asked Froome to explain why twice the allowed limit showed up in his sample. But the reaction of other riders suggests that the presence of the four-time Tour de France winner in the race through Andalusia may provoke some resentment in the peloton.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2018