I sense a wind of change in the peloton. I believe that there’s a shift from doping being something that’s done just to be competitive to something you do to CHEAT.

I have more respect and admiration for a clean lanterne rouge than I do a podium cheat.

Thanks for giving the sport back to the fans!

Unfortunately, there always will be cheaters, stupid people who think they’re smarter than the rest. Losers willing to risk the careers of everyone else in the peloton for their own selfish aims. I’d like to see Jens Voigt and Magnus take little Ricco “out back” and beat some respect into him. But seriously, think of the big leap that has been taken regarding attitudes toward dopers (long gone are the days of quiet acceptance), and the ability to catch them. This new form of EPO was supposed to be undetectable. I understand it’s not even on the market yet—but already, the test was there to find it.

It’s depressing to know there still are idiots trying to beat the system (and it sounds like Piepoli will be the next casualty). But for the first time ever, the “good guys” are getting out in front of the cheaters. Things ARE changing, and there are many reasons to be hopeful (not least of which are the efforts by teams like Garmin-Chipotle, Columbia, etc.). Even for a non-cyclist like me, there is nothing in sport more intense than a rugged mountain stage fought out by combatants who respect the rules, each other and the sport itself. I think we’ll see that in the days to come. Things are changing. Keep the faith. And go CVV!

Like everyone else I was in awe of Ricco’s rides in the mountains and equally gutted when I read that he had been caught doping.

As JV says so eloquently, this shows that the tests and controls are working. In my view this casts doubt on the way a number of riders have performed (good and bad). Some may have pulled out, some may have ridden without doping and not reached a standard that was expected of them and I think that could explain 3 relatively big names.

Garmin Chipotle, Columbia and CSC are the teams stamping their mark all over the TdF this year and what do they have in common? - internal testing programmes.

Yes, we have another TdF blighted by the drug cheats, yes this will happen in future years, but the future is still bright as more and more sponsors will either withdraw or enter cycling due to the doping policies of the teams they fund.

The best we can all do is support those who are clean and let those who are not suffer the consequences.

anyways, Bob Roll really touched a heart string for me when he said in passing that he had himself paid a high price for riding clean … And I thought about the kind of rider he may have been with a different field. Frankly seeing Ricco just yanked out of the field makes me nothing but happy for every clean domestique. As my husband put it today, Vdv was a domestique for a long time and now with a cleaner field look where he is capable of being. Of course he has undoubtedly trained hard as well but these races are won and lost by tiny margins…. so i say … let’s pull 50 or 60 dirty riders out if we have to and have a real race!

However, I can’t envision not supporting cycling. I will laugh at the stupidity of the dopers while cheering for the Garmin-Chipotle guys. You guys are truly awesome, and it’s just fun to cheer you on.