What I can’t fathom is why so many cycling fans, your own websites included, talk about ‘sadness’ and ‘tragedy’ when pro riders are caught doping. Wake up! These guys are cheats, endangering their own lives and the lives of others. You don’t say it’s ‘sad’, ‘tragic’ or ‘unfortunate’ when someone breaks the law in another walk of life, such as banking fraud or political corruption.

I get the strong feeling that many of the people writing about pro cycling would be happy for riders to take all the drugs they want just so long as they don’t get caught.

What else can explain the persistent campaign to undermine WADA and the UCI and the perpetual sympathy for the riders caught in the net.

My view is that if a very few false positives are the price that has to be paid for a clean sport, then we just have to accept it. We’re not talking about the death penalty after all.

When I interviewed Michael Hutchinson on The Bike Show last year he said that in terms of pure physiology, EPO and blood doping are so very effective at enhancing performance (far more potent than any previous doping agents), that it would be impossible for any clean rider to make an impact at the top of the sport for the past 10 years, particularly in long stage races like the Giro an the Tour. Personally, I don’t have any evidence of particular riders and their doping activities, but I tend to believe Michael on this one.

In the Eurosport story you reference, the UCI’s lawyer confirms that Landis is still the Tour winner until a sanction is given.

“Just look at Tyler Hamilton.” Yes, lets. For a start, read the third arbitrators dissent. Vanishing twin thing was blown out of proportion by media.

Of course, cycling has been – sadly – riven with drugs but that doesn’t mean due process should be ignored. Cycling seems to be the only sport where you’re guilty until proven guilty.

Floyd Landis has already been stripped of his TdF title, according to the race director, Christian Prudhomme, and sacked by Phonak, his team. I would say that’s a pretty big measure of disgrace, in anybody’s book.

From what I understand, Monday’s arbitration hearing is at Landis’s request, so it is akin to an appeal rather than a trial. As I see it, the ball is in Landis’s court, to explain why he failed the test, rather than for WADA or others to prove that he doped. Athletes are tested so that cheats can be caught. Landis failed the test… Benefit of the doubt does not enter the equation.

Pro cyclists who fail drugs tests always protest their innocence, and show characteristic stamina in keeping on doing so. Just look at Tyler Hamilton. This is one of the big failings in pro cycling. Given the evidence about how endemic doping is in the sport, if riders would just ‘fess up perhaps the sport could move on. The teams have taken a positive step in suspending or sacking riders at the earliest moment after tests are failed. But there’s a long way to go.

As you mention the fact a tribunal starts that day perhaps you should have said ‘accused’?

Landis gets a lot of this sort of thing: guilty until proven guilty. I prefer to stay open minded and await with interest all the evidence that will be presented at Pepperdine University starting on Monday.