Cycling: Chris Froome hasn't raced in months, yet his name currently dominates the cycling world. On the sidelines of the Tour Down Under, Holger Gerska met with Nikias Arndt (Sunweb), Jasha Sütterlin (Movistar), and Robert Wagner (LottoNL-Jumbo) for a sports discussion on Deutschlandfunk radio. All three had strong opinions on the subject of Chris Froome and Sky.
Sütterlin draws parallels between Froome and Wiggins
Professional cyclists don't have it easy. As if the grueling training on the bike weren't exhausting enough, they face constant doping accusations. The Chris Froome case is currently a hot topic. Even during the Tour Down Under – without Froome – the Briton is the number one subject. UCI President Lappartient called on Sky to suspend Froome. At the same time, however, he admits that he can't force them to do so. Understandably, those involved are dissatisfied with the current situation. Jasha Sütterlin (Movistar) is particularly annoyed by the fact that nothing has been done for months.
Jasha Sutterlin:
"The same thing happened with Wiggins. I think he should be banned. We all have to kind of wait for confirmation now, but nothing is happening.”
Wagner: "A helper would have been withdrawn long ago"
Robert Wagner (LottoNL-Jumbo) is also annoyed by the waiting time. He finds it particularly damaging to cycling that Sky and Chris Froome are now using lawyers to try and weasel their way out of the whole affair during this period. Furthermore, the 34-year-old suspects that Chris Froome is indeed receiving preferential treatment because he is a top rider and not a support rider. However, Lappartient recently assured everyone that there would be no special treatment for Froome.
Robert Wagner:
“As I have read, everything is now being tried to explain the high values. In the past, there were two comparable cases with lower scores, Petacchi and Ulissi - and they were banned. It's now up to Sky and Froome to explain. But if he can't explain it in a plausible way, then he should be banned. Whether that's a Tour de France winner or a helper, I don't care. A helper would have been taken out of circulation long ago.”
British Tour de France winner Chris Froome is facing criticism after a positive doping test – but is allowed to continue racing for now. @NikiasArndt , @JashaSterlin and @RobertWagner83 will discuss this further in a sports interview at 23:30 pm on @DLF. pic.twitter.com/pACsnZR0Z7
— Sport (@DLF_Sport) January 21, 2018
Arndt would like Sky and Froome to be more open
Chris Froome and Sky are currently trying to explain the elevated reading. Froome reportedly intends to attribute it to a kidney malfunction. Nikias Arndt (Sunweb) can't find any explanation for how such a high reading could have occurred. Nevertheless, he wants Team Sky to be more transparent about the matter and not allow the Briton to start until the situation is clarified. Romain Bardet (AG2r) made the same demand a few days ago.
Nickias Arndt:
"I don't even know if they have an idea themselves. Just as journalists are currently speculating and discussing this, so are we. For me it is inexplicable. You are now trying to explain why. I would have liked Sky to be more open about it and pull him out of circulation. It would be good for cycling if a decision was made as quickly as possible.”
Enjoyed the cool down after a very hot stage 3! 💦 @tourdownunder
Pic. by @roosenboomphoto @mjstorer_au #recovery pic.twitter.com/KZ7akUSfnX— Nikias Arndt (@NikiasArndt) January 20, 2018
Here you can listen to Deutschlandfunk's sports talk with the three German cycling pros.