It looks like there’s a long way to go before we have a full culture of transparency in cycling.
Chris Froome’s memorable climb on Mont Ventoux during the Tour de France in 2013 is once again coming under serious scrutiny while Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford reveals that he has taken legal action to investigate the potential hacking of Froome’s performance data.
Brailsford believes Froome’s data was hacked from Team Sky computers by people determined to prove that the Tour de France leader is using performance-enhancing drugs.
Froome has had to fight against accusations of doping ever since he dominated the 2013 Tour.
This latest situation is only going to lead to further speculation, particularly after a YouTube video which aligned his power data alongside his climb on Ventoux in 2013 was mysteriously deleted from the internet.
Journalist and former trainer of the disgraced Festina team, Antoine Vayer, has led claims that Froome’s heart rate data does not correlate with what he is producing on the field.
A document showing data which claimed to detail Froome’s performance in 2013, including his power output and heart rates, was then placed alongside footage of Froome’s climb on Ventoux.
One attack is highlighted where Froome went off a long base of 400W up to 1000W – maintaining 600W during attacks – but his heart rate barely changes – 157 pre-attack, 161 post-attack.
At another point, the data appears to show Froome’s speed change from 18.3mph to over 32mph as he attacks on a climb. Meanwhile, his heart-rate even appears to decrease at one point.
Last night, that video footage was deleted from the internet.
Plot thickens. YouTube video of Froome climbing Ventoux in 2013, and apparent data, now taken down
— Matt Dickinson (@DickinsonTimes) July 13, 2015
https://twitter.com/PGriffinFC/status/620723096148967424
Looks like some lawyers have been working a late shift re Froome data https://t.co/rgVQ7qDrpH
— Matt Dickinson (@DickinsonTimes) July 13, 2015
South African physiologist, Ross Tucker, has hit out at what he sees as the lack of transparency in cycling and explained the controversy from his point of view.
But Team Sky principal, Brailsford, has claimed that Froome and his team are the victims of a data hacking scandal and that lawyers are indeed on the case.
“It’s part of the game, isn’t it? If he does well, the rest of the Tour it’s ‘How do you know he’s not doping?'” Brailsford said.
“The question of how to prove a negative is always going to be a difficult one.
“We think someone has hacked into our training data and got Chris’ files, so we’ve got some legal guys on the case there.
“I would never mention a name. Ethically and morally, if you are going to accuse someone of doping then don’t cheat.”
Froome went into stage 10 of the Tour de France under intense scrutiny, but clearly was unconcerned by the speculation and internet rumours as he produced one of the most stunning climbs in recent years to win the stage and further extend his lead.
Well, Froome certainly didn't play it conservatively today on a day when he was under fierce scrutiny. Incredible performance
— Tom Cary (@tomcary_tel) July 14, 2015
Cycling just keeps giving gifts. Journos, I'll save you time on your reports – just dig up what you wrote in, say, 2004, and swap some names
— Ross Tucker (@Scienceofsport) July 14, 2015
Froome wins his third #tdf stage while leading the general classification. The last riders to achieve this feat were Armstong and Induráin.
— Gracenote Olympic (@GracenoteGold) July 14, 2015
