It's wrong and that's not because I'm not sympathetic to Boonen's obvious problems. But you say 'drugs' in relation to the Tour and most people haven't the nous to separate the details. Like everybody else who loves the bike game it's been shattering to see what's befallen our sport and if Boonen not riding the Tour helps even in a small way to rebuild its reputation then that's a fair price to pay - even though that's now a moot point. Shame though that, like Hamilton and Landis, Boonen has a total lack of ability to stand up, say mea culpa and take the hit. You get the feeling that his teammates held him down and forced the marching powder up his snout, the way he paints it. That's what separates David Millar from the others and why his rehabilitation has been welcome. Vive Le Tour!

If it was lesser rider on the quick step team it would've been "here's your cards now eff off".But because Boonan might win them a stage or two,slapped wrist&don't be a naughty boy again.

But i think they've made a big mistake as he's a got a drug problem pure&simple just happens he's able to ride a bike fast.If he takes coke for a bit of fun then he woud'nt think twice about putting some other crap in his body to boost his ego.Or am i putting 2&2 together & getting 3.99999999!!!!!!

I'm happy Boonen is racing!

What he did was "wrong", but as far as the UCI is concerned, he did not break any 'rules' or take any substance which would give him an unfair advantage. I think that the media blew this one out of proportion so the UCI needed to look tough and disciplinary, but they knew all along that they would indeed let one of the best cyclists of our time race in the biggest cycling spectacle of them all.

Sadly, Cavendish will win every time these two (Cav and Boonen) face off in a sprint, but cycling needs guys like Boonen who are just absolutely amazing cyclists! 3 Paris-Roubaix wins!!! Come on! This guy is super-hardcore.

Would prefer to see Alan Davis riding.

Who cares if he took cocaine? If it does not enhance his performance then it does not matter what he takes. In fact I'm sure cocaine actually damages your body.

Lets face it, Boonen is young, good looking and rich. He's a bigger star than we'll ever know in Belgium and he's human! As a role model and a bike rider, he should know better though.

still, his drug use hasn't made him a faster bike rider, he's not cheated his fellow riders by stealing prize money off them after using a performance enhancing drug. Does he need help? I dunno.... I've come from a similar world where the odd few pints, a wee bit charlie or an E is common place and most people that do it are pretty normal. lets not judge him too harshly......but it should be a final warning for him.

So the message is: feel free to take recreational drugs, apologise and promise to stop. Take them again, apologise again, promise not to take them again, blame it all on depression and still get away with it.

But it definitely the curse of Princess Grace and possibly a deep-rooted aussie-ness in me that would have preferred to see a non-druggie racing,

The problem that the UCI have is that they have a list of banned substances, and a list of punishments. With Boonen, the UCI now find that they can't punish riders for taking drugs NOT on their list. I agree that what was done was wrong, but the UCI cannot ban a rider if he hasn't broken any UCI rules.

I certainly think that Quickstep should be checking Boonen closer, mostly to ensure that coke is all that was taken. I would hate to see Boonen be found with EPO, or something and make front page news. I also hope he knows the difference. Boonen really is not doing himself any favours with some members of the pro-peloton...