Is Mr Dickinson seriously suggesting that Lance Armstrong should not ride again in the Tour because some journalists choose to doubt the fact that he has never failed a drugs test? Armstrong is not accountable to the media, especially one which constantly insinuates drug use without proof.

Pauline , dorset,

What an astonishingly bizarre perspective.

"Trying to outsprint the clouds of doubt is an exercise in futility" you say. You might as well cancel out every human endeavour that has involve proving innocence or what is right and true.

All in case he's not clean.

What if, instead, in case he is?

Laura Roberts, London, UK

The Tour de France was one of the greatest sporting events in the world and will remain so long after this mightily suspect 'superhuman' has hung-up his cycling kit for good.
He should just stay away and forget this futile 'Lance is/was innocent' campaign.

D.Heath, London, England

I really don't understand why you have taken this tack in your article.
With Lance Armstrong in The Tour, and Contador back in as well, I cannot imagine a more exciting prospect.
If you think the Schleck brothers and Sastre are going to lie down and take a beating, you have another think coming.

Ian Young, Reading, UK

Your article is out of touch.

As an ex-professional I was no fan of Armstrong and had my suspicions.

Now I'm a fan.

To put his reputation on the line with a 'drug tested to destruction' outcome shows immense confidence.

He will set an example while the world watches fascinated.

Michael, Aylesbury,

I think they should allow the riders to take any drugs that they want. That would be fair and would make for a far more interesting spectacle.

Tom, London, England

The seven TdF's Armstrong won were boring. It was as if a jaguar was competing against a bunch of snails. The snails were pretty much all cheating, so if the jaguar wasn't, he is superhuman and therefore can't be beaten. Who wants to watch a sports event where the winner is known beforehand?

Dick, Brisbane, Australia

I trust that it was not an intentional ploy by the Americans to fly the Union Jack up side down during the opening ceremony of the Ryder Cup, because the British certainly do not surrender before, during, or after a shot is played.

David Farmer, Plymouth, England

Very bad news for the minority of people that really love the sport. Who cares if he wasn't caught with EPO - there was no test for EPO when it came on the market. When they unfroze a sample they found traces of the very substance. That would be enough - in any criminal trial.

Peter Hayes, York
, England

Matt you appear to be picking on a guy who works hard to prove himself to the world as he supports the cause of helping the many with cancer. I'd think you didn't like him personally as I find it hard to dislike him professionally. Lance inspires; we need all the inspiration we can get these days.

Jessica, Coos Bay, USA

I would agree with Simon from Sydney, only to add that the media's perception that the Tour, once riddled with drugs, is now clean as a whistle, is beyond naive.

David, Dublin,

Awful article. I'm normally a fan of your work Matt but you've lost the plot on this one. It's grossly unfair to suggest that Armstrong shouldn't race again because his main competitors tested positive.
Is that his fault? As many dopers have been caught in the post Lance years as when he raced.

Simon, Sydney, Australia

"Brotherhood of death defiance"? Cancer makes people sick, not stupid. We don't see the world through rose-colored glasses. Lance is innocent until proven guilty, and has re-popularized a sport that has received little to no attention since he left. Why would you diminish his accomplishments?

Allyson, Colorado, United States

You've got to be kidding me. I have not heard ONE word about the Tour de France (or any cycling event) since Armstrong retired, except when that French newspaper wrote it an obituary. Now, everyone is talking about cycling again. This man has made cycling relevant again. He IS the Tour de France!

jj, Columbus, Ohio

What is obvious here is that Dickinson simply can't accept the fact that some people actually possess such physical abilities. Armstrong stated that the pain he endured in the saddle during the TdF was nothing compared to the pain of chemotherapy. Armstrong actually does possess such abilities.

Jeff Coignard, Warner Robins, Georgia, USA

innocent until proven guilty, isn't that how the system works? For me there is no doubt of Armstrong's innocence. They threw everything they could at him and he still passed all the tests. Give it a rest, once and for all, and let's welcome back the King of Le Tour...

Declan, Ireland,

I'm sorry, I'm usually a big fan of Mr Dickinson's reasoned arguments, but I cannot subscribe to this one.

How can you effectively say that Mr Armstrong cheated with such certainty that everything he achieved was a fraud?

He never failed a test. Never. Doubt him, sure, but with such certainty?

George, London, UK

What a terrible article. While racing, Armstrong was one of the most tested sportsmen and never tested positive yet is tarred with the same brush as those who were guilty of doping. It's no wonder he is "thin-skinned and belligerent" when having to deal with articles like this.

Peter , Southport, UK

There's no 'contradiction' in a BNP voter supporting a team with a Bangladeshi captaining it. What does Dickinson think? That BNP voters 'don't like' non-white people? Most BNP supporters are simply fed up with mass immigration, multiculturalism, and the destruction of native.communities. Jeez!

Jim, London,

Instead of trying to win the tour agin, I think Lance should try and win all of the "Monuments of Cycling" in a single season: Milan - San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Lombardy.

Even Merckx didn't do that :-)

Paul, Abbots Ripton, England

Shocking article. Yes the rumours have persisted but mostly due to European journalists (esp French) who hate the fact that an American has dominated this great sport especially one so brash and arrogant. I'd love for him to win again and if he did it would be a fantastic boost for cycling.

Grant, Southampton, UK

Each sport has its own unique unwritten culture which constitutes what is "fair" between athletes. Therefore, if Armstrong is proven to have taken performance enhancing drugs, no detraction can be taken form his achievements, because all his major rivals were competing with the same advantages.

Ben Lloyd, Cardiff, UK

Lances achievements are undeniable.
However, it 's not helped cycling to have top riders cherry-picking by participating in only one big event a year.
It's a pity that Le Tour organisers do not insist on all participents competing a fixed number of big events each year to widen interest in cycling

john, woodbridge,

Whats with the negative garbage being written on Lance's comeback? Look at what he's putting on the line, pretty much one of the things he cares most (after family and a cure for cancer ) about, his name/ honor. Yes he wants to clear his name, but believe me, getting cancer noticed is as important!

robby, greenville sc,

Sigh. Armstrong's return is bad for the sport? How many other sports legends have made comebacks, successful or not? How many were labeled "bad for the sport" for trying? I can tell you......none! Armstrong bashing has become a sport in itself.
Mr Dickinson, try taking a good look at yourself.

Donna J Frey, Gallatin, USA

Did you watch the Tour this year? It was hardly clean. Naysayers want to have this both ways - Lance can't possibly win gain, yet if he does so with state of the art testing he's still guilty. The Tour lost out this year by not letting Astana ride, They'll lose again if he wins elsewhere. Go Lance!

John, St. Louis, United States