Bradley Wiggins breaks his silence and speaks out on Chris Froome's salbutamol case
Wiggins describes situation as 'a mess'
Bradley Wiggins has spoken out for the first time on Chris Froome's salbutamol case, describing the situation as "a mess" and praising Froome's conduct over the past nine months, but also calling for greater investment in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Asked on The Bradley Wiggins Show on Eurosport whether he thought WADA's salbutamol regulations were fit for purpose, Wiggins said "apparently not, and apparently it hasn't been for a while. There are so many people coming out and giving their opinions and it’s really difficult to get to the roots of what the actual facts are.
"We have to respect that he’s allowed to race, and within a safe environment. There's all kinds of abuse at the moment and no athlete should have to ride in those conditions and have their safety questioned at the sport’s biggest event.
"Without the leak we wouldn’t even know about it, but that’s the nature of sport now. Had it not been Chris Froome there wouldn’t have been a leak. I think someone saw an opportunity, one of the big organisations maybe did it to get one over on someone else, and it’s overshadowed the sport all year."
>>> Chris Froome reveals details of how and why he was cleared in anti-doping investigation
Wiggins has had a frosty relationship with Froome dating back to their time together at Team Sky, especially around the 2012 Tour de France where Froome finished second to Wiggins in Paris.
However Wiggins praised his former team-mate's professionalism in dealing with the last nine months and still arriving at the Tour de France as the race favourite.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"Earlier in the year I thought it might affect him but he’s managed to remain dignified and rise above it, with a historic Giro and for me he is still a favourite to win the Tour de France. He’s proved in the past that he can deal with whatever’s thrown at him."
Wiggins also criticised the lack of communication from WADA and the UCI as the case went on, but still called for WADA to be given more investment even if some of the organisations rules needed to be rewritten.
"What I think is more the issue is how the UCI and WADA are communicating as we heard nothing for eight or nine months and then all of a sudden we heard it within a day and he could race the next day," Wiggins continued. "Could this decision have been made earlier? It’s just a mess.
"Did they already know the test was flawed? Apparently they may have already known that months ago and this could have happened with anyone.
"It had nothing to do with Team Sky at the start. They would have asked Chris questions, he would have explained himself and they would have trusted him and so the team have supported him through it. It could happen to any team, but because it was Team Sky it got leaked, there is a feeling of anti-Team Sky.
"Something needs reviewing massively. I don’t think WADA have a massive amount of money, they need more investment. They were set-up 20 years ago and their rules were probably written then, so perhaps they need to be re-written. But to really combat doping in sport and the more secret ways people are finding to dope in sport they need more money and funding."
You can watch the Tour de France live and on-demand on the Eurosport Player, with six additional camera feeds and uninterrupted, ad-free coverage. Visit www.eurosportplayer.com to sign up for your free seven-day trial.
The Tour de France continues on Monday with a 35.5km team time trial starting and finishing in Cholet.
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
Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
-
'I don’t know where I’d be without my leg' – Paracyclist Meg Fisher to tackle Ecuador’s Highest Peak, 20,549ft Chimborazo, to help provide life-changing prosthetics for amputees
'I will never forget how people told me to keep my expectations of my abilities low...I’m doing this to see if I can do it and to show others that they can do it too,' says Fisher.
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Tweets of the week: Tadej Pogačar's special nutrition isn't as pro as you think
The Giro d'Italia winner has his own Italian dish
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Bradley Wiggins 'a little bit nervous' as he returns to cycling
Former Tour de France winner set to ride bike again for first time in almost three years
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I should have paid more attention to my financial affairs' - Bradley Wiggins opens up about bankruptcy
Former Tour de France winner was declared bankrupt in June
By Adam Becket Published
-
Bradley Wiggins: 'I was putting myself in some situations where someone would have found me dead in the morning'
Former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion reveals further details about his mental health struggles and suggests 2022 interview potentially saved his life
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Bradley Wiggins joins Lance Armstrong for Tour de France podcast
The former Tour de France winner will be appearing on The Move for the next week
By Adam Becket Published
-
Bradley Wiggins declared bankrupt - reports
The Tour de France winner was in an Individual Voluntary Arrangement since 2020
By Adam Becket Published
-
Bullying isn't allowed in other workplaces, professional sport should be no different
Comments about Julian Alaphilippe are just the latest in a long line of examples of bosses in sport going too far
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Bradley Wiggins says he suffered ‘borderline rape’ during three years of 'abuse' by coach
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Wiggins says he now “hates cycling” and only ever used the sport as a distraction
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Bradley Wiggins might not be a TV pundit for much longer: 'I just want a normal job really'
Tour de France champion says that he doesn't still want to be on Eurosport in 10 years, and he thought about being a social worker
By Adam Becket Published