Britain’s Froome denies doping, up for more testing

CAUTERETS, France – Tour de France leader Chris Froome understands those who harbor doubts about his dominant performances in a sport long marred by doping. Maybe, he says, it’s time to bring in an independent specialist to test his body and help prove that he’s riding clean.

The 30-year-old Briton cruised through a second day in the Pyrenees mountains on Wednesday, finishing more than five minutes behind Stage 11 winner Rafal Majka of Poland but keeping his main rivals in check.

The bumpy, grueling ride under a hot sun came a day after Froome blew away the pack, prompting new suspicions about doping. Ironically, it came as Lance Armstrong – who was stripped of seven consecutive Tour titles – was to return to French roads nearby, even though he’s persona non grata at the Tour de France.

Armstrong was to take part in charity rides Thursday and Friday to raise money to fight leukemia, taking the same route that Tour riders will cover a day later.

Froome brushed off Armstrong’s visit as a “non-event”, noting that “he’s not on the start line with us.”

However, Armstrong’s presence is a reminder that any Tour leader can expect to come under at least some suspicion. To deal with that, Froome is willing to take testing even further.

“I’m open-minded to potentially doing some physiological testing at some point after the Tour, or at whatever point suits,” the Briton said. “Obviously, there would be some interesting things that come out of it, and maybe as a team we might even learn something from it.”

Speaking to French TV, Froome said he does “sympathize” with people who have their doubts about him, adding: “It’s a normal question to ask” given the sport’s history. But he emphasized his hard work – sometimes from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. – and decried a “lack of respect” shown by some.

Arriving in France on Wednesday, Armstrong acknowledged to British broadcaster Sky News that he bore some responsibility for the spotlight now being trained on the Briton.

“I know what it’s like for a guy like Chris to be in the middle of a Tour to deal with the constant questions, which of course he is. And to be fair and to be honest to him, a lot of that is my fault,” Armstrong said.

The day’s glory meanwhile went to Majka, a 25-year-old Pole whose solo breakaway left behind a small group of rivals. The victory was the first for his strong Tinkoff Saxo Bank team.