BERLIN – Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome is to
be blocked from entering this year's race by organisers over an
ongoing doping case, according to a report Sunday.
Tour organisers ASO have told Froome's Team Sky he would not be allowed to start the race which begins Saturday, the French paper Le Monde said. Froome returned an adverse analytical finding in the 2017 Spanish
Vuelta and is eligible to continue competing until the ruling body
UCI has reached a verdict.
A test showed twice the permitted concentration of the asthma
medication salbutamol in his system. The Briton subsequently won the Giro D'Italia earlier this year and
intended to defend his Tour de France title.
ASO is trying to block Frome as its rules "expressly reserves the
right to refuse participation in – or to exclude from – the event, a
team or any of its members whose presence would be such as to damage
the image or reputation of ASO or the event."
Le Monde says a Team Sky appeal will be heard by the French National
Olympic and Sports Committee on Tuesday with a decision set for the
following day.
The 2018 Tour de France ends July 29 after 3,329 kilometres of
riding.