Paul Kimmage joined the Sunday Paper Review on Off the Ball at the weekend as the Tour de France clicked into gear.

Chris Froome's participation was in question until just before the event when he was cleared by the UCI after a sample taken in Spain showed twice the legal limit of Salbutamol in his system. 

The Briton was booed on-stage at the opening ceremony for the biggest race in cycling and Kimmage explained why the French public have taken a dislike to their champion: "The issue is that a rider with no pedigree, no, with a limited pedigree in 2011 is on the verge of becoming the greatest bike rider of all time," he told Joe.

"Now I'm sorry - that's a miracle and I ain't buying it and the people on the Tour de France ain't buying it and Chris Froome has given us no reason whatsoever the last five years to buy it. That's the issue. 

"Now you can dress it up with Salbutamol and get into the science of this and that - that's actually very convenient for Chris Froome and his fans because everybody is blinded by science but no, that is not why he is being booed, that is not why he is being booed in France. He is being booed in France for the last five years on how he has conducted himself," he added. 

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