Tour: Urine attack blamed on media
July 19, 2015
British Tour de France rider Chris Froome has blamed "irresponsible" reporting after being doused with urine during Saturday's 14th stage, amid suggestions that an Anglo-Franco divide is being stoked up by the French media.
Froome said his attacker shouted "doper" while throwing a cup of urine over the cyclist early in Saturday's stage, and described the incident as "unacceptable on so many levels."
The soaking happened four days after fellow Team Sky rider, Australian Richie Porte, said he was punched in the ribs by a spectator during the 10th stage summit finish in the Pyrenees.
'Like a football mob'
Froome blasted some journalists for articles that he claimed stirred up spectators against him, adding, "I'm not going to give up the race because a few guys are shouting insults."
Without mentioning the French media by name, the 30-year-old revealed that team riders had been verbally abused and spat at and that he felt the animosity from certain quarters.
Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford went further, describing the French crowds this year as "out of control" and "like a football mob." He demanded that the Tour's organizers take immediate action.
Porte suggested some reporters were putting riders in danger by "whipping up all the rubbish that they are" and thus inciting a minority of spectators to behave aggressively.
One theory put forward by the AFP news agency is that the sudden success of British riders - in a new era of the Tour widely regarded to be fair - has angered French fans, who see the event being gatecrashed by a country with little or no road cycling tradition.
Doping history
The Tour has a history of doping scandals. The most famous involved seven-time winner Lance Armstrong, who was eventually stripped of his titles for using banned substances.
Froome, now also facing accusations of his own cheating, insists that he is clean. He said that it was natural that Team Sky's success would put them under increased scrutiny.
The yellow jersey wearer has also been accused of using a motorized bicycle after leaving all his rivals behind on Tuesday as they climbed the Pyrenees to win stage 10.
Froome won the Tour in 2013 and goes into Sunday's Stage 15 as overall leader, 3min 10sec ahead of his rivals.
mm/tj (AP, AFP, Reuters)