OK, Ross Tucker, here we go.
Regarding Froome on Ax-3 Domaines in 2013:
"It was fast, very fast"
He gives power estimates of between 6.3W/kg and 6.5W/kg - elsewhere he states that his estimate (and it is only an estimate) of the maximum natural physiological performance possible is about 6.2W/kg for durations of 30mins (Ax-3 was 23:14) -
http://sportsscientists.com/2013/07/the-power-of-the-tour-de-france-performance-analysis-groundwork/
"Either it is one exceptional individual, or…well, we know the rest"
Regarding the Tour in 2013:
"Therefore, when Chris Froome rides away from a field on the first week of the Tour at a power output that is higher than benchmarked, and produces a time that puts him in the company of known dopers,
we should ask questions of that performance. But we cannot conclusively use it to prove that he is doping."
"By the end of the Tour, Quintana and Rodriguez were at the same level as Froome on Ax-3-Domaines, and Quintana even surpassed it on Semnoz to produce the best climb of the race, statistically speaking. Even accepting the constraints of “performance pixellation”, t
he trend was quite clear."
"Ultimately, though, the final word on the 2013 Tour is that we shouldn’t be accusing, just wondering. And given cycling’s history, and the fact that those entrusted with running the sport have shown themselves to be unable to clean it up,
we cannot simply believe (blindly) in miracles this time around. So we wonder, reasonably, and use some kind of performance metric to gain some insight. Proof, no. But equally, not worthless."
On the 2014 Tour:
"My expanded thoughts (and these brief ones) again confirm my belief, held since 2010, that the sport is likely
cleaner, but not yet where it wants to be, clean."
"the performances we’ve seen this year, and in 2013,
are in good company with those of known dopers, perhaps not dating back to the sport’s worst era in the 1990s and early 2000s, but certainly the latter part of the 2000s. While Nibali and Froome of 2014 and 2013 are relatively similar,
they are also similar to the 2003 – 2005 era, which provides some reason for skepticism."
Ross is very scientific in his method and provides a balanced view. But he's definitely not saying it's clean.