Former pro Alessandro Petacchi in disbelief over Chris Froome salbutamol levels

The Italian, who served a suspension himself for salbutamol, says he doesn't believe the asthma drug is necessarily performance enhancing but should still be banned

Chris Froome on stage eight of the Vuelta a España (Sunada)

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

Alessandro Petacchi, who served a suspension for exceeding limits on salbutamol, wonders how Chris Froome (Team Sky) failed an anti-doping test for the asthma drug with such a high level and with testers that are always watching.

The top Italian sprinter retired in 2015, but served a suspension for over-using the inhaler drug and lost five of his Giro d'Italia stage victories. He was found with 1320 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml) of salbutamol in his system after winning a stage in the 2007 Giro.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.