French hope Romain Bardet said he was "happy" the anti-doping investigation into Chris Froome has been ended before the Tour de France begins.
AG2R La Mondiale's Bardet, who is looking to become the first Frenchman to win the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985, had previously been strongly critical of Froome's decision to keep racing throughout the investigation, details of which were leaked in December.
"I'm happy the UCI has given an opinion and made a decision on this," Bardet said through a translator. "Chris Froome suffered this situation for nine months as did the world of cycling, we all suffered from that.
"He is still the number one favourite for the race and maybe he will clinch his fifth victory. His main obstacle will be his own shape. We will see his shape very soon.
"The last months have not been good for cycling and it's good to know the Tour will start in a peaceful atmosphere. I think this will be the case thanks to the decision from the UCI."
Bardet finished second to Froome in 2016 and third behind Froome and Rigoberto Uran in 2017. At 27, he should still be yet to peak, and appears France's best hope of ending the long wait for success in their own race.
Bardet was keen to play down any pressure which might be placed on his slight shoulders, but did not deny his target this July.
"This is my sixth Tour and I've never had such a great team around me," he said.
"This is a very demanding race and we will tackle it with greatness and humility. There is tough competition, the route is very tricky and we hope to do even better than previous years.
"When it comes to my real objective we will have to wait until the first stages, take it stage by stage and make no mistakes. We are very ambitious but also very humble."
