Tour de France 2015: Chris Froome accepts doping suspicions an inevitable price of wearing yellow

CHRIS Froome says he can handle doping suspicions levelled at him at the Tour de France, because it is a function of wearing the race leader’s yellow jersey.

Great Britain's Christopher Froome (C), wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides during the 186,5 km eighteenth stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race on July 23, 2015, between Gap and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, French Alps. AFP PHOTO / LIONEL BONAVENTURE

CHRIS Froome says he is happy to put up with all the doping suspicions he’s faced at the Tour de France because wearing the yellow jersey makes it worthwhile.

The 30-year-old Briton has faced constant speculation about the validity of his success during this Tour following a strong showing on the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees 10 days ago.

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He currently leads Nairo Quintana by 3 min 10 sec with two Alpine mountain stages left.

During the Tour he’s been accused of doping and riding a motorised bicycle but despite the unpleasantness of it, Froome says he’d rather be in this position than the one he was in last year.

Chris Froome has had to endure accusations he is doping during this year’s Tour.

Twelve months ago, he crashed out of the fifth stage with a broken hand and wrist in the defence of his Tour crown.

He had to sit at home and watch on as Vincenzo Nibali rode to a commanding Tour victory.

And a year before Froome’s 2013 success, compatriot Bradley Wiggins had said he hated the intrusive media attention of being the Tour leader and then winner.

“I definitely do not hate being in this position, I’ve worked too hard to hate being here, it’s a dream scenario,” said Froome, who was born in Kenya and grew up in South Africa.

Froome has a stranglehold on the race as it continues in the Alps.

“You just have to look back to last year when I was sitting at home and watching the race on the television with a broken hand and wrist.

“There’s absolutely no way I’d change anything right now — this is a dream for me.” Even so, the Sky team leader had to face down more questions over his performances after Thursday’s 18th Tour stage.

He was asked about his connections with a doctor based in his home town of Monaco, and about motorised bicycles as his own ride was examined after Thursday’s stage.

“Most of the suspicions are all in social media and online but they surely don’t come from nowhere,” said Froome about motorised bicycles.

“The technology exists. Yes, my bike was one of those checked (on Thursday) -- I’m happy they’re doing the checks, they’re probably needed given all the rumours out there.” As for the doctor Stephane Bermon, no doping allegations have been levelled against him. He lives in the same town as Froome.

“He is the doctor at the Monaco Institute of Sport, I have been in there a couple of times for pulmonary function tests with Dr Bermon,” said Froome.

“Those results have all been documented and everything.” Two days beforehand, Froome admitted that doping suspicions would follow him his whole career.

On Tuesday’s rest day, Sky had released some of Froome’s training and race data to quell accusations that his performances were doping-induced.

Local favourite Romain Bardet gave the French a second stage win this year.

But the reaction in some media was simply to question the reliability of that data.

“There are a lot of people out there who have already made up their minds and no matter what information we release or make public that’s not going to change their opinions,” sighed Froome.

Meanwhile, French riders struggle to succeed at the Tour de France because of a different kind of pressure and scrutiny, according to Romain Bardet.

The 24-year-old earned his first ever Tour stage victory on Thursday after a bold solo break with almost 40km to ride.

Having come into the race with overall hopes, Bardet has had to readjust after losing a lot of time in the first Pyrenean stage at the start of the second week.

Having already twice finished third in stages this year, he finally landed a victory on the 186.5km 18th stanza from Gap to Saint Jean de Maurienne.

That was enough to lift him to 10th overall, and 16 sec above Warren Barguil to become the top ranked Frenchman.

But just 12 months after he was third among the hosts in finishing sixth overall — Jean-Christophe Peraud and Thibaut Pinot joined champion Vincenzo Nibali on the podium — Bardet’s win has been a rare bright spark for the hosts.

And the AG2R rider says it’s tough for Frenchmen to succeed in their home Tour. “Last year we had an incredible Tour. Of course certain circumstances favoured us (Froome and Alberto Contador crashing out), I won’t hide that, but there’s a lot of pressure on the French at the Tour,” he said.

“To be excellent at the Tour you need to do it over 21 stages. For me it’s still a bit early but I hope to be up there one day fighting for the general classification.

Originally published as Tour de France 2015: Chris Froome accepts doping suspicions an inevitable price of wearing yellow