Cycling: Numerous riders have commented on the Chris Froome case in recent weeks. Among others, Jasha Sütterlin and Robert Wagner are calling for a ban. Romain Bardet would find it terrible if Froome raced and was subsequently disqualified. Now, another fellow rider from the peloton has weighed in, this time in Cycling Weekly: Vincenzo Nibali believes Chris Froome should do what is best for cycling.
Nibali: "If you get banned afterwards, you lose everything"
In the cycling world, there's hardly anyone happy with the current situation surrounding Chris Froome. Team Sky and Froome himself would have preferred to clear up the allegations immediately. The competition is just as dissatisfied with the long wait as the race organizers and, above all, the fans. Even the UCI, through its president David Lappartient, has repeatedly voiced its criticism. Although everyone involved is unhappy, there seems to be no one who can do anything about it. Vincenzo Nibali didn't actually want to talk about the Chris Froome case. However, in Cycling Weekly, he offered his British colleague some well-intentioned advice.
“In the past we have seen that in such a case it would have been better for the athlete not to continue. Because if you drive and then get blocked afterwards, you lose everything. But the decision is up to the team and the driver.”
Froome is said to make the best decision for cycling
Vincenzo Nibali is not wrong in saying that the decision is entirely up to Froome and Sky. Indeed, it appears - according to the law and rules - that only Team Sky and Froome themselves can rush the decision. At the same time, however, they can also delay this and prolong a trial and the possible conviction. There is no question that this scenario would cause lasting damage to cycling. That's exactly why Vincenzo Nibali takes the Sky professional and his team to task.
“Froome faces a choice. I would recommend him as a friend - even if we're not really friends - to make whatever decision is best for this sport, for the fans, for the current movement in cycling. He knows the facts.”
Vincenzo Nibali returns to the Tour of Oman. https://t.co/7ZswiJJBGE
— Velomotion (@Velomotion_App) January 23, 2018
"Maybe Chris was just careless and careless"
Although Vincenzo Nibali didn't really want to say anything about Chris Froome, he spoke quite openly to Cycling Weekly. At the end of the conversation, however, the Italian took some sharpness out of the statements he had made.
“Everyone wants clarity. Sometimes mistakes are made. I'm not in his shoes. Chris has already made his statement. He said he followed the doctor's orders... so it's the doctor's fault? Maybe Chris was just careless and careless. I don't really want to say anything, otherwise it'll be 'Nibali says this, Nibali says that' again. But we all wish the decision didn't last that long."
Vincenzo Nibali: 'Froome should do what's right for cycling' | https://t.co/cosz5RCUc9 pic.twitter.com/grYz5321r5
— Cycling Weekly (@cyclingweekly) January 24, 2018