Four-time Tour de France winner Christopher Froome was tested positive in a doping test in September. On Wednesday, the whole mess became known. The international press is shocked by the incident and questions the credibility of cycling as a whole.
Daily Mail:”The focus is on cycling – and the sad truth is that we can’t trust him anymore. Chris Froome’s positive doping test is another pillar of credibility.”
Times:”The most successful British road cyclist is now battling for his reputation.”
Guardian:”Is this the end of the Sky team? The team has always claimed to be whiter than white. This must now be called into question. The positive test not only threatens Froome’s reputation, it could be the last nail in the team’s coffin.”
L’ Equipe:”Froome has the sky on his head. What kind of game is he playing? On the 20th. He was informed about the abnormal test on September 9, the morning of the World Cup time trial. Still, since that day, he has wrapped himself in a cloak of virtue and continued his career as if nothing had happened.”
Le Soir:”The Chris Froome affair. Cycling is caught up with its demons.”
Le Figaro:”Could Froome fall like Armstrong? Cycling hasn’t finished doping yet.”
New York Times:”Cycling history repeats itself. Froome’s name is now on the ever-expanding list of champions who have disgraced themselves because of a positive test: Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, Jan Ullrich, Alberto Contador, etc. It’s hard to be surprised by the news that the most dominant of all cyclists has been positively tested.”
Gazzetta dello Sport:”Froome, a shock! A time bomb is ticking and threatens to explode in the hands of cycling and even world sport. The countdown is running. The announcement of the Froome case alone has a devastating effect on cycling.”
Corriere dello Sport:”Saints or devils: when it comes to Froome, the spirits are divided. A cyclist who is too arrogant and an innovative team splits the traditional world of cycling. Froome has become a symbol of new cycling – for its good and bad sides.”
Repubblica:”Shadows on Froome: The Lord of the Tour de France must now save himself. A cycling star who has never been popular in his own world must defend himself against the suspicion of doping. The question is: Can an asthmatic win the Tour de France, the Vuelta and countless other races four times?”
Corriere della Sera:”Froome under fire. The credibility of the pro, his sky team and all cycling is at stake.”
Marca:”Now Chris Froome has also been caught. It is hard to believe that these scandals do not end with cycling. Nevertheless, we have to wait and see what happens next.”
AS:”Now the Briton could lose his Vuelta title. Froome justifies himself with his asthma disorder. It’s bad news for cycling again.”
Sport:”Froome is tested positively on the Vuelta 2017! However, the four-time winner has not yet been sanctioned for this. Froome cites his asthma as the reason for the higher dose. This could be a long process now.”
General Dagblad:”Poor, poor Chris Froome. When he drove the Tour of Spain, he had an acute asthma attack, he had to take Salbutamol. And then as it happens, they found it in his pee-pee. What bad luck.”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung:”Cycling could scarcely have done anything worse than that: the image-decomposing doping scandals of the past two decades, from Festina to Fuentes to Armstrong, seemed to be halfway tolerated. The industry was about to pick itself up. Now there’s the threat of a setback whose impact is hardly foreseeable.”