fmk_RoI said:
So it would be fair to say, then, that it was a bit of a stretch to include it in the Bert case, all things considered?
Not at all. It provided very useful information. Remember that while CAS concluded it was a contaminated supplement, they clearly weren't very confident in the decision--it was like a political candidate winning office with less than a majority of the vote--and Contador himself denied at the outset that he had taken any supplements.
Back to Froome. His Giro strategy ought to be affected by his salbutamol case. It was just reported that his trainer, I think it was, said Froome wasn't 100% yet, and that was by plan, since he has to conserve energy for the Tour. But the blunt reality is that he very likely will not be able to ride the Tour, and will probably be able to keep Giro results, so IMO he ought to go all out to win this GT, hold nothing back. If a minor miracle happens, and he either isn't banned before the Tour, or any ban isn't proactive, he can deal with that as it happens. But he seems to be in denial, that the Giro is probably the only chance he's going to have this year.
OTOH, if he turns out not be competitive in the Giro--and the injury and the time losses at least hint that he might not be--then he needs to think about abandoning, trying to get a retroactive ban that allows him to ride the Tour, and going all out for that. It's too early to know, I understand, but it's a real possibility, and if he's seriously affected by the injury, he might need to rest if he were to have any chance at the Tour.