--- title: Tour De France Victory Marred By Doping Suggestions description: Spectators spat and threw urine at Tour winner Chris Froome during the race canonical: https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/ author: Tara John article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-27T11:23:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:25.400Z article:section: Sports og:title: Tour De France Victory Marred By Doping Suggestions og:description: Spectators spat and threw urine at Tour winner Chris Froome during the race og:url: https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4b228ef8373df19/69885c89a988ca9ba06b39fd/tour-de-france.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Tour De France og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tour De France Victory Marred By Doping Suggestions twitter:description: Spectators spat and threw urine at Tour winner Chris Froome during the race twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4b228ef8373df19/69885c89a988ca9ba06b39fd/tour-de-france.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tour de France Victory Marred By Doping Suggestions > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: The Ultras: Scott Jurek [Watch (HLS stream): The Ultras: Scott Jurek](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WrhkemPE.m3u8) (2:33)  _Published 2015-04-17. Meet the man who won't stop running._ by [Tara John](https://time.com/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Jul 27, 2015 11:23 AM UTC  Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team Sky (yellow jersey) leads Peter Sagan of Slovakia and Tinkoff-Saxo during stage twenty one of the 2015 Tour de France in Paris on July 26, 2015. Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team Sky (yellow jersey) leads Peter Sagan of Slovakia and Tinkoff-Saxo during stage twenty one of the 2015 Tour de France in Paris on July 26, 2015. Jean Catuffe—Getty Images by [Tara John](https://time.com/author/tara-john/) ## Tara John Jul 27, 2015 11:23 AM UTC British cyclist Chris Froome’s[ win at this year’s Tour de France](http://time.com/3972561/chris-froome-tour-de-france/) has been marred by suggestions of doping by a French scientist. Pierre Sallet, a physiologist who heads the anti-doping agency Athletes for Transparency, first raised suspicions when he alleged that Froome’s performance in stage 10 of the race was abnormal. Froome won the stage and gained a time advantage over his rivals that they could not overcome in the remainder of the race. Froome won his second Tour de France in three years on Sunday after three week’s of racing that culminated with a late fight-back by the Colombian Nairo Quintana. Just as when Froome first won in 2013, Quintana was runner-up, although the margin was much smaller this time. Sallet [told the BBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0638xbb) on Monday that despite having no physical evidence, what he estimated from Froome’s power-to-weight ratio showed an “abnormal profile.” But, he said he would would need more details, like Froome’s neurological profile and power outputs, to be sure. “So to understand if it’s a unique profile or if it’s something else like doping, we need more details to understand,” said Sallet. “When people are suspicious around you, it’s my opinion, but the best answer is to give the details.” Cyclists have been regarded with suspicion since the 7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong admitted doping and was stripped of his titles. Froome, the winner of the Tour in 2013, has been abused by spectators during the race who have spat, made hand gestures and on one occasion threw urine at him. There is no evidence that he has engaged in doping and he denies it. In an effort to satisfy critics, Froome’s team released their scientific data about the cyclist during the tenth stage. Brian Cookson, the president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), rejected Sallet’s scepticism. “I don’t accept that argument… clearly what sport is about is about exceptional performances from individuals who put up something incredible on the day for whatever reason, motivation, accident of nature, genetics and so on, ” Cookson told the BBC. “To suddenly say that everybody who puts up an exceptional performance must therefore be doping because other people did in the past, that’s a rather strange leap of faith to make.” Cookson also told the BBC that he thought that Froome’s treatment by some spectators was “digusting and disgraceful” and individuals like Sallet shared responsibility for that. “I think they are making rather disingenuous justifications for their claims and frankly all they have been doing is damaging our sport and perhaps individuals within that sport,” he said. To the amusement of many, Lance Armstrong shared his thoughts on Froome’s performance. > [](https://twitter.com/lancearmstrong/status/621001550450720768) ### See the Crazy Fans of the Tour de France  Astana Pro team rider Vincenzo Nibali of Italy is on his way to win the 19th stage of the 102nd Tour de France cycling race between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and La Toussuire, Les Sybelles, France on July 24, 2015. Yoan Valat—EPA  German supporter Didi Senft known as El Diablo cheers as Great Britain's Christopher Froome (in yellow) rides in the pack during the eighth stage of the race on July 11, 2015, between Rennes and Mur-de-Bretagne, western France. Lionel Bonaventure—AFP/Getty Images  Belgium fan Willy from Antwerp waits for the riders during the 11th stage of the race from Pau to Cauterets, France on July 15, 2015. Eric Gaillard—Reuters  Cycling supporters play instruments as riders pass by during the eighth stage of the race from Rennes to Mur-de-Bretagne, France on July 11, 2015. Stefano Rellandini—Reuters  French cyclist fan, Jojo the rooster, waits for the riders during the sixth stage of the race from Abbeville to Le Havre, France on July 9, 2015. Eric Gaillard—Reuters  A spectator watches teams during the ninth stage of the race, a team time-trial that starts in Vannes and finishes in Plumelec, France on July 12, 2015. Laurent Cipriani—AP  A supporter of Movistar rider Alejandro Valverde of Spain, dressed as an American Indian, rides his bicycle before the 10th stage of the race from Tarbes to La Pierre-Saint -Martin, France on July 14, 2015. Stefano Rellandini—Reuters  Disguised spectators cheer as riders pass during the 18th stage of the race ending in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France on July 23, 2015. Christophe Ena—AP  A fan rides a bicycle as he is suspended from a cable during the 17th stage of the race from Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup in the French Alps mountains on July 22, 2015. Stefano Rellandini—Reuters  Disguised supporters wait along the road during the 11th stage of the race on July 15, 2015, between Pau and Cauterets, southwestern France. Lionel Bonaventure—AFP/Getty Images _Read next:_ [_How Aging Affects Athletic Performance_](http://time.com/3953605/aging-affects-athletic-performance/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Download TIME’s mobile app for iOS to have your world explained wherever you go_](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/time-mobile/id328218429) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/"},"headline":"Tour de France Victory Marred By Doping Suggestions","datePublished":"2015-07-27T11:23:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:41:25.400Z","description":"Spectators spat and threw urine at winner Chris Froome during the race","url":"https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/","keywords":["Cycling","tour de france"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4b228ef8373df19/69885c89a988ca9ba06b39fd/tour-de-france.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tara John","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tara-john/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4b228ef8373df19/69885c89a988ca9ba06b39fd/tour-de-france.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tour De France","caption":"Tour De France","creditText":"Jean Catuffe—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cycling/","name":"Cycling"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/","name":"Tour de France Victory Marred By Doping Suggestions"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Ultras: Scott Jurek","description":"Meet the man who won't stop running.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WrhkemPE/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-04-17T21:47:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WrhkemPE.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/","duration":"PT2M33S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3972877/chris-froome-doping-tou-de-france/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```