Accept doping and stop the witch hunt. That is the only way cycling (and other pro sports) can survive in the long run.

Henrik Nielsen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Rabobank made a huge mistake when they decided to sack Rasmusen. Rasmussen was in a position to win the tour. He was tested 14 times during the tour. Not a trace of doping was found. What about innocent untill proven guilty?

birger madsen, copenhagen, denmark

Why then, if the leader never tested positive was he thrown in front of the wolfes?
It seems to me that a person should be "not guilty" 'till proven otherwise.
Conviction by oppinion is a bad way to ruin someons life!

Joe Gierga, Garibaldi, USA /Oregon

It's all about the money, brothers and sisters - just like the rest of "sports".

tim, Phoenix, EE.UU.

Rasmussen has support around the world. He was lynched by the French media and tour organisers. If it was a French rider, none of this would have happened. The reasons were political and de Rooy stole Rasmussen's yellow jersey.

Benny, Australia,

Rasmussen has support around the world. He was lynched by the French media and tour organisers. If it was a French rider, none of this would have happened.

The reasons were entirely political.

Benny, Australia,

Half full or half empty - you the journalists can decide. Why not try a positive spin by congratulating the Tour for its determination to go through the traumas involved in exposing sporting cheats and being willing to undermine its own flagship event as a part of the process. The media can either help or hinder and announcing the death of the Tour because it was willing to throw out the Yellow jersey in the cause of clean sport is for sure not helpful.

Philip Melville, Little Gaddesden, England

"The Tour is a French event and nonFrench teams should be strictly vetted and forced to follow a more exacting long-term ethical code, based on the French Cycling Federation’s “ suivi médical”

Exactly right. It is extraordinary that all the problems this year, true or not, have been caused by non-French riders.

If riders who joined the Tour followed the French system- voila!

Richard Roe, Canterbury,

Rasmussen's employer has stated that when confronted he admitted he had lied. If this is not true Rasmussen must have some sort of proof that he was in Mexico and not Italy. It is not one person who states that they saw him in Italy, a Gerolsteiner rider also claims to have seen him there. Having lied to your employer is surely misconduct and if they feel it appropriate have the right to dismissal.

David Raymond, Glasgow, UK

The Tour is simply too arduous. Stage 17, a Pyrenean stage with a number of climbs, was 280 km long, in considerable heat. I do feel that the Tour has come to pride itself upon its gruelling nature, and that this is contributing in some way to the prevalence of doping. Realistically, it would be pretty difficult to complete this sort of stage without some sort of 'help', elite athlete or not. Cut the stages in half, I say, so that the Tour becomes more than simply an exercise in superhuman, and sadly chemical, stamina.

Sarah Carson, Grimsby, U.K.

Not much true judicial integrity shown in dispelling Michael Rasmussen.
One man's word against another's.
No benefit of doubt.
Rasmussen IS after all married to a Mexican wife, and it IS plausible he trained in the Mexican highlands as he states.
He has been tested clean 15 times during the Tour.
Surely his whereabouts during June could be verified from passport stamps, credit card withdrawals, purchase receipts - whether it be Italy - or Mexico.
But no! Why bother, when a sacrificial lamb must be brought to the alter to atone all sins of the Tour de France.
We have now reached the point, when any winner of the Tour will be under suspicion.
Ask 5-time winner Armstrong.
France never believed he ran a "clean" race, but were never able to prove otherwise.
Proof is now down the drain. Suspicion alone "est suffit".

Gerald B., Aarhus, Denmark

its not difficult to prove. Ask him for proof of travelling to Meico and dates. If he says he doesnt have any cause he lost tickets, which he obv will, ask for airline he travelled with. They will have passenger records for dates travelled, not brain surgery really???

Niall, Dublin, Ireland

Several points: (a) the French media and public have persecuted non-French winners of the Tour in the majority of years during the last two decades; (b) the Tour organisation and the UCI are chaotic and self-serving entities incapable of operating any kind of fair system of testing; (c) the scale and physical demands of the Tour are absurd, so that they encourage the use of drugs; and (d) cyclists have the same legal standing and individual rights as protection against persecution as any member of the public.

Rasmussen is a loner and may well have lied. Like most of the rest of the human race. Unless and until there is concrete evidence that he had actually taken drugs during the Tour to improve his performance, he has the same rights as anyone else. Past history is irrelevant unless you intend to ban anyone who has ever smoked marijuana. On that basis the behaviour of both the Tour and Rabobank is inexcusable. The Tour's supporters are, in fact, its worst enemies.

Gordon, London, UK

I think the best thing Rabobank could do for Rasmussen, was to take him out of the Tour. Now, he has the chance of striking back and proove his innocence, instead of winning the Tour, and be suspected of drug-use forever.
I must say, despite of cheering on Michael and trying to believe him, I am not convinced of his innocence, but like I said, now he has his chance of revenge...
(I am really sorry for my english, and I hope there isn't too many words, that are spelled out wrong... :)

Line, Aarhus, Denmark

Has everybody forgotten that Contador himself was banned from the tour last year? Because he was under suspicion from doping no less.

Cofidis was one of the teams who demoed against doping - the same day as it was revealed that one of its star riders himself was doped.

The sooner the tour organization and everybody involved in the villification of Michael Rasmussen learns to spell the words "double standards" the better it will be for everybody involved.

What remains is the fact that Michael Rasmussen showed the strength and the ability to be the best rider of the Tour de France. Everybody else is second best regardless of circumstance.

Regards

Susanne, Aarhus, Denmark

Surely the dispute over Rasmussen's whereabouts can be easily verified - and if he is innocent the charge that he was in Italy refuted by simply showing his passport to the media. His passport would be stamped and reflect the dates he was in Mexico. I would think if I were in his position and innocent, I would want the world to know that I had a simple piece of evidence that would clear my name. It does not answer the question of whether he “doped” but it does close the book on where he was in June.

Kevin, Chicago, IL

Rasmussen should have been given a chance to prove that he is innocent. I think Rabo was too hasty in removing him from the tour on the basis of a testimony of one person. If the dane had been to mexico, I'm sure he would have some proof. This has indeed been a sad tour - just when things were getting so interesting ...and was looking like one of the most competitive ones in recent times.

MK, Mumbai, India

Today, in the leading Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, there is a picture of Michael Rasmussen showing his wares in front of his shop in Lasize by Lake Garda. The date is 8th of May, when he claims he was in Mexico. Have you got the picture?

Kari , Helsiniki, Finland

Rasmussen Cricified without trial

There is good reason to be critical of his performance and suspect him of using drugs. However He has been tested before the tour in another race and 17 times during the tour. All negative tests

Rasmussen had to be secrificed to ensure the tour could continue. Guilty until proven...

The final ironi!
Yes it is that Contadors name was in Fuentes list along with Basso's.

John Clear, Aarhus, Denmark

Jeremy,
Are you kidding? Your list is crazy -- from top to bottom.

Here's my list:
- All of the various 'feuding' cycling agencies should get together and designate serious, modern rules and processes. In a move towards this, WADA proposed having a summit.
- Downsizing is stupid if it is just about costs of testing -- I'd want to hear a rider say that the peloton is 'too big' first.
- How about Rules based on science and fact -- and there is no reason for delays of days/weeks/months before infractions are reported. Get a web site, dudes!
- No, whole teams shouldn't be thrown out because of individual actions, though perhaps it might be appropriate to give those teams a bit more scrutiny, ESPECIALLY the managers! What has been missing in all this is sanctions on the managers...
- If I were the riders, I'd lget a union started to make sure that I had a seat at the table to make sure that the rules were fair, the testing science is fact-based & punishments were appropriate/even.

Caitlin, San Francisco, CA USA

I find the scenario where sportspeople are tracked 24/7 even more revolting than sportspeople cheating. The world is becoming less free every minute of every day and I find it extremely depressing.

Round the clock monitoring of people might eventually get rid of doping (and then again it might not). But even if it does, what will be left will be of no value, nothing to admire, nothing to aspire to - just a bunch of utterly controlled boring robots. I am giving up on sports. The cheaters make it hard to love it, but the administrators are intolerable.

Tim, London,

We dutch always like to punish our self.
When the liaing is inpotant then Theo has to fixus this in house.
Now he punishes the team who did a beautiful job.
He accomplices nothing.
The team still get bood by Frensh.
They don`say thank you.
And Discovery is sure to wine, and yes the Americans have the most expertice in covering up doping.
When your France or USA yuo would first win the Tour then perhaps and talk about the liaing.

Eddy , Helsinki, Finland