Vayer says Froome's supposed Ventoux data was leaked, not hacked

Files believed to show data from Chris Froome’s stage-winning ride on Mont Ventoux during the 2013 Tour de France were the result of a leak, rather than hacking, according to the man who made them public.

Team Sky announced on Monday they were taking legal action over a breach involving Froome’s files, and it is believed to be linked to the Ventoux data, which was published last week and later made into a video.

The data, posted by Antoine Vayer, a former trainer of the infamous Festina team, gives a breakdown of Froome’s speed, cadence, power output and heart rate over the course of the climb. The video, made by someone else – whose Twitter account was later removed along with the video – sets the figures against television footage, showing how the values fluctuated in real time, notably when Froome made his high-cadence attack on Alberto Contador.

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Patrick Fletcher
Deputy Editor

Deputy Editor. Patrick is an NCTJ-trained journalist who has seven years’ experience covering professional cycling. He has a modern languages degree from Durham University and has been able to put it to some use in what is a multi-lingual sport, with a particular focus on French and Spanish-speaking riders. After joining Cyclingnews as a staff writer on the back of work experience, Patrick became Features Editor in 2018 and oversaw significant growth in the site’s long-form and in-depth output. Since 2022 he has been Deputy Editor, taking more responsibility for the site’s content as a whole, while still writing and - despite a pandemic-induced hiatus - travelling to races around the world. Away from cycling, Patrick spends most of his time playing or watching other forms of sport - football, tennis, trail running, darts, to name a few, but he draws the line at rugby.