Presidents of UCI and WADA critical of spectators’ hostility towards Chris Froome

The president of the UCI, Brian Cookson, has described the behaviour of a number of fans during the Tour de France as ‘hooliganism’ reports The Mirror. WADA president, Sir Craig Reedie, has also said that Chris Froome should not have had to endure abuse during the race.

Froome recently won the Tour for the second time in three years, but endured abuse from a number of roadside fans. One is said to have doused him in urine while another was captured on film spitting at him.

“I am worried about the beginnings of an element of hooliganism coming towards our sport which we have largely been able to avoid in recent years,” said Cookson. “I think Chris was subjected to a fairly nasty form of antagonism from a small number of people.”

Cookson also said that he was concerned about more than just the treatment of Froome.

“There was also a little bit of slightly joking, slightly hooligan-type behaviour in places with cars being kicked and things being thrown at support vehicles.

“The Tour de France, all of cycle racing, is a great free sport – it is possible to get close to the athletes, to the competitors, in a way that is not really possible in any other sport. If we want that to continue, then we all have a responsibility to behave.”

Team Sky have blamed segments of the French media for fuelling ill-feeling towards Froome and their other riders (Richie Porte said he was punched during one stage). Froome himself has singled out ex-pro cyclists turned TV pundits Laurent Jalabert and Cedric Vasseur for dropping strong hints that they believe his performances are artificially enhanced.

WADA president, Reedie, told Sky Sports that he too was unimpressed by crowd behaviour during the race. "I think that was very regrettable and I hope that it involved only a very small number of spectators. I do not believe that is how French supporters of cycling normally behave.”

Reedie says that unless riders test positive, they should be given the benefit of the doubt.

"I assume there has been a wide and extensive testing procedure for the riders in the Tour de France and we await the results with interest. But unless there are findings or evidence to the contrary, all sports people must be given the benefit of the doubt.

"The UCI are certainly making sustained efforts to change the culture of the past. They have had an independent commission report and have created an independent anti-doping agency and I think it is pretty important the UCI wins this particular argument."

Those thoughts were echoed by IOC president, Thomas Bach, who told CNN that he thought cycling was now ‘on the right track’.

“The biggest danger is not that the cheat is being caught and that we have a doping case. The biggest danger is that with every doping case there is a suspicion being shed on the clean athletes.”

Bach said that $10 million had been earmarked by the Olympic Committee to fund anti-doping research, with a further $10 million set aside to combat match fixing and corruption.