More than what meets the eye in Chris Froome’s positive test?

Chris Froome has been ordered to explain to UCI why a urine sample he provided in September showed a concentration of the asthma drug salbutamol that was twice the permitted level.

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Froome had twice the permissible amount of asthma medication Salbutamol in his system during the Grand Tour race which he won in September. (Source: Reuters)

Britain’s Chris Froome, a four-time Tour de France winner, has been ordered to explain to the International Cycling Union why a urine sample he provided in September showed a concentration of the asthma drug salbutamol that was twice the permitted level. Here is a look at why the most decorated cyclists in the post-Armstrong era is being looked at with a degree of suspicion.

THE SITUATION

Chris Froome, who has suffered from asthma since childhood, takes salbutamol to manage the condition. However, during September’s Vuelta a España, he was given extra doses by the Team Sky doctor after his symptoms worsened. The 32-year-old says the increased dosage was within the legal limits set by WADA but added that the UCI is “absolutely right” to ask questions. He is allowed to compete until his case, which has been ongoing since September 20, is resolved.

TEAM SKY

This is another hit for the invincibles of modern cycling. Team Sky parted ways with Froome’s former coach Bobby Julich in 2012 after he admitted to using EPO as a rider in the 1990s. They also do not sign riders who have served bans. But questions have been raised over the team’s use of TUEs, most famously in the case of Bradley Wiggins, who was given injections of the banned anti-inflammatory drug triamcinolone for allergies and respiratory issues before the 2011 Tour de France, his 2012 Tour win and the 2013 Giro d’Italia.

THE DRUG

What is Salbutamol?

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Typically taken via an inhaler, it is a drug used to open up airways in the lungs, helping asthma sufferers to breathe easier. It is permitted without the need of a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).

Is it performance-enhancing?

Research shows that it should not have performance-enhancing effects if taken via an inhaler, but taken in other ways it can improve the strength and power of the muscles. According to a study published last year, salbutamol may postpone fatigue in skeletal muscles.

What do the rules say?

The drug is on WADA’s prohibited list and is not allowed to be taken orally or via injection. Athletes are allowed limited amounts via an inhaler: a maximum of 1600 mg (16 puffs) of salbutamol in a 24-hour period, or 800mg in a 12-hour span. Excess of 1000 nanograms per millilitre in an athlete’s urine is considered an adverse analytical finding. Froome was twice the limit at 2,000 ng/ml. An adverse analytical finding is not an anti-doping rule violation. Froome has to explain the excess of salbutamol.