Chris Froome's name was dragged into the ongoing due diligence on Team Sky and British Cycling's former doctor, Richard Freeman, by a 2012 Team Sky internal investigation and interviews regarding doping allegations within the team. Froom's name appeared in connection with an interview with Shane Sutton conducted as part of Team Sky's internal investigation.

There was no evidence that Froome, who has consistently denied doping during his seven Grand Tour-winning career, had cheated.

Freeman was accused by the General Medical Council of ordering testosterone patches in March 2011 "knowingly or believing" that they were used to enhance athlete performance. He denies this and claims he used them to treat erectile dysfunction for former British Cycling and Team Sky coach Shane Sutton. Sutton vehemently denied that the banned substance was intended for him when questioned early in the hearing.

In 2012, Team Sky became concerned that some staff members may have been involved in doping, and coach Dave Brailsford and then-medical director Steve Peters conducted a series of interviews with staff to establish a zero-tolerance system.

The interviews, now called Team Sky's "Night of the Long Knives," and a reception at a London hotel, followed Lance Armstrong's doping confession. Staff were questioned about their past in the sport and asked to sign a declaration that they were not involved in any wrongdoing

. [Bobby Yurich, Sean Yates, and Steven de Jong resigned from their roles. Yates left citing health issues, while de Jong and Yurich later admitted to using the banned blood enhancer EPO during their professional cycling careers.

Details of Shane Sutton's 2012 interview were read at Freeman's hearing on Tuesday.

According to the Times, O'Rourke detailed the questions posed to Sutton. The Australian was asked whether he had ever been involved in doping or had purchased or supplied banned substances himself. According to O'Rourke, Sutton answered "no."

Later, when Sutton was asked by Brailsford and Peters about concerns about doping within the team, he referred to "Chris Froome's trip to Italy on his motorcycle" and his ongoing relationship with "Bobby [Urich]," O'Rourke said.

Yurich became Froome's lead coach in 2011, and the two worked well together in Nice while Froome finished an unlikely second at the Vuelta a España. He eventually won the overall in 2019 and received the winner's trophy after Juan José Cobo was found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation related to biological passport data in this year's race.

No further details were revealed from this document. According to the Times, Sutton's claims about Froome were investigated, but no evidence of wrongdoing was found.

According to the Daily Mail, when asked about Sutton's 2012 interview with Brailsford and Peters, Dr. Freeman replied: "I knew the rumors about Mr. Froome, but not about Mr. Sutton."

Cyclingnews reached out to Sutton for comment, but received no response.

Last night, Team Ineos told The Times that it "does not comment on ongoing medical hearings."

The hearing is continuing and more witnesses are expected to be called, including Nicole Cook's father, Tony.

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Deal of the Day: U.S.

Deal of the Day: U.K. [35]