Team Sky leader Froome has so far resisted calls to sit out of racing after the final verdict on his Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for anti-asthma drug salbutamol in last year’s Vuelta a España remains unresolved.
And on Wednesday, reigning World Time Trial Champion Tom Dumoulin, now racing alongside Froome at the Tirreno-Adriatico event in Italy, added his voice to those calls.
“He’s not breaking any rules. Can he be here? Yes. Is it good for cycling? No. Does anyone benefit from it? No,” said Dumoulin. “It’s his right and let’s say he is innocent, then I can understand that he’s here.
“We as a team and I have a different opinion about it; I would not be allowed to race as we’re part of the MPCC [an unofficial anti-doping watchdog assocation in cycling, containing several top teams but which Sky have not joined].
“I would probably also not want to, but Sky has a different approach to it. That’s their right.”
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Dumoulin’s muted but firm criticism of Froome came as Sky continue to face the fallout from Monday’s bombshell parliamentary report, which claimed that Sky had crossed “an ethical line” in 2012 using drugs allowed under anti-doping rules for performance enhancement. Sky have vigorously denied the claims.
This is not the first time Dumoulin has criticised a top Sky rider. Two years ago Dumoulin slammed Sir Bradley Wiggins’ reported use of a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to take the powerful corticoid triamcinolone before targeting the most important Grand Tours in his career, saying simply “it stinks”.
Cavendish, meanwhile, has different problems. His unlucky start to the 2018 season showed no sign of letting up yesterday as the Briton crashed out on an opening stage for a second time in a fortnight.
The Dimension Data sprinter hit the ground at 60 kmh on Wednesday during the Tirreno-Adriatico team time trial, cutting his face.
“He probably hit one of those and at 60kmh, it never ends really good,” said team director Rolf Aldag. “On the time trial bike, you’re down low with the load on the front, so if you go down, you go on your head. He went down really, really hard.”
His helmet askew, his kit ripped and torn and with big cuts under his eye and chin, Cavendish remounted and finished the stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race before going to hospital for a check-up.
But he had been pedalling so slowly after the crash, he finished outside the permitted time limit and was eliminated from the race.
The latest chapter to Cavendish roller coaster season came after the Briton secured his first win in months in early February.
But in the Abu Dhabi Tour two weeks ago, Cavendish crashed out after just five kilometres when an official race vehicle brake sensor activated, the car slowed suddenly, Cavendish collided with it and had to abandon with concussion.
While Cavendish Dimension Data squad finished 18th on Wednesday, Team Sky and Froome powered to a respectable third place, nine seconds behind winners BMC Racing of the USA. The race finishes next Tuesday.