Bahrain-Merida team manager Brent Copeland believes that Chris Froome should sit out of racing while his Salbutamol case is resolved. Froome returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for double the allowable limit of the asthma medication during this year’s Vuelta a España.
Froome was notified of the findings on September 20, but the issue only came to light on Wednesday through revelations from Le Monde and the Guardian. Copeland emphasised that his issue was not with Froome or Team Sky themselves, but argued that continuing to ride while the case is ongoing gives cycling a bad public image.
"I’ve known Chris for years, and I must be very clear that this isn’t against him. I think that Chris can come back stronger than before, I know him and his mindset," Copeland told Cyclingnews at Bahrain-Merida’s training camp in Croatia.
"If you have a code of conduct or an ethics code then you should follow that. September 20 is when they were notified and Chris still presented himself at several events and [Team Sky] were negotiating with RCS about the participation of him at the Giro d’Italia, knowing what they had on their plate, which is difficult for me to understand as a manager.
“Even if he is banned for nine months, eight months, or whatever the case is, he could still ride the Giro d’Italia. But in the meantime, the code of conduct of most teams would dictate that the rider should be suspended.”
Copeland has personal experience of this situation after Diego Ulissi returned an adverse analytical finding for similar levels of the same medication at the 2014 Giro d’Italia.
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Ulissi was suspended by the team following notification of the finding that June. He made a brief return to racing at the one-day GP Banca di Legnano in September 2014, but was subsequently sidelined again until the case was resolved. Following a lengthy procedure, where Ulissi underwent medical tests, the Italian was handed a nine-month suspension in January 2015.
Copeland defend the use of Salbutamol, saying that there is a genuine medical need by some riders.
"I know that there is a lot of criticism from the public on this but a lot of people don’t understand the conditions that riders compete under," he said.
"You’re riding through different climatic conditions all the time and unfortunately they do suffer from asthma and a lot of riders do use this substance to help them out. If it is accepted by the international medical regulations then it is fine to use. Obviously, it shouldn’t be abused."
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