'I only know as much as you guys' – Froome distances himself from ex-carer doping inquiry

Chris Froome returns to the Tour de Pologne this week for the first time since 2011, when he finished an anonymous 85th ahead of his remarkable metamorphosis at the Vuelta a España just a few short weeks later.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Froome quickly became the figurehead of Team Sky’s imperial phase, winning seven Grand Tours in the intervening period, but he has also had to reckon with the horrific injuries he suffered at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné.

It’s not clear if Froome’s career will continue beyond the end of this season, but his past glories were recalled in detail by the speaker in a rainy Wroclaw on Monday morning when he signed on with his Israel Premier Tech squad.

The past is never really past in cycling, of course, and Team Sky’s dominance of a decade or so ago has come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks when it emerged that the International Testing Agency (ITA) is investigating David Rozman, who was Froome’s carer for most of his time at Team Sky.

'In the Slipstream,' a documentary broadcast by ARD in June alleged that Rozman had exchanged messages with Mark Schmidt, the convicted doctor at the centre of the Aderlass doping inquiry, during the 2012 Tour. His alleged communications included plans to meet for a beer on the eve of Froome’s first Tour stage victory at La Planche des Belles Filles. 

ARD did not name Rozman, though they did approach him for an interview on the final day of this year’s Giro d’Italia in Rome. Rozman was later named in an article published in Ireland by the Sunday Independent.

Rozman was hired by Sky in 2011 and remains an employee of Ineos Grenadiers. The Slovenian worked on this year’s Tour de France until the team sent him home in the final week. Dave Brailsford and other team management had repeatedly refused to answer questions on his status.

Speaking to Domestique and Cyclingnews ahead of stage 1 of the Tour de Pologne, Froome insisted that he had no knowledge of Rozman’s involvement in the Aderlass inquiry beyond what has been reported by media outlets in recent weeks.

“I’ve only seen what’s in the media, so I only know as much as you guys,” said Froome, who denied reports that he had attempted to remove all images of Rozman from his social media accounts in recent weeks. “That’s not true. Go on my social media, go on my social media. They’re still there.” 

In 2016, Froome’s ghostwriter David Walsh wrote a profile of Rozman for the Sunday Times that highlighted the strikingly tight bond between rider and soigneur. The pair were so close that Rozman named his son after Froome.

Asked if he had had any contact with Rozman in recent weeks, Froome said, “No,” and then rode off: “Cheers guys, thanks.”

Froome’s contract with Israel Premier Tech is understood to expire at the end of this season, but the 40-year-old did not appear resigned to retirement when he spoke to a Polish television station after the signing-on ceremony in Wroclaw.

“This is potentially one of my last seasons racing so the motivation is high,” said Froome. “I’m going to try to do the best I can this week.”