Fans’ doping taunts mar Froome’s Tour de France

Spectators continue to taunt Chris Froome along the roads of the Tour de France after the four-time champion was cleared of doping.

Prior to the start of Stage 15 on Sunday in the southern town of Millau, one spectator leaned over the barriers toward Froome and made a gesture like he was injecting his arm.

Throughout the race, spectators have voiced their disapproval of the Team Sky rider.

A cloud had hung over Froome after a urine sample taken during the Spanish Vuelta in September showed a concentration of the asthma drug salbutamol that was twice the permitted level. Tour organizers had informed Froome he wasn’t welcome at this year’s race until the International Cycling Union announced five days before the event started that Froome’s result did not represent an adverse finding.

Froome is aiming to join Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain as the only riders to win the Tour five times. With one week remaining, Froome sits second in the overall standings, one minute and 39 seconds behind Sky teammate Geraint Thomas.

Thomas has been jeered for being Froome’s teammate.

“It’s not a nice situation. For me, it’s the highlight of my career and a massive honour and a privilege to be wearing the (yellow) jersey,” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day you need to stay strong in your head and just crack on.

“The way I see it is I would rather be in this jersey and having the race of my life and getting booed or whatever than maybe being 30th and dropped at the first climb of the day and everyone cheering me,” Thomas added. “It is what it is and I am enjoying it still.”

Meanwhile, Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark sprinted away from two other challengers to win Stage 15 on Sunday. The Astana rider claimed his first career win at the Tour after staying ahead of Ion Izagirre and Bauke Mollema in a sprint over the final 200 metres of the hilly 181.5-kilometre leg from Millau that finished in a long descent to Carcassonne.

The three riders were the last of a breakaway group of 29 cyclists.

Thomas in the yellow jersey, second-placed Froome, and the rest of the overall contenders were in a pack more than 10 minutes behind and had not finished yet.

The race will have a rest day on Monday.