Those attacking the use of Andreu are probably just Armstrong fans spitting their bile in response to his courageous revelations about their 'hero'!

He still cheated whether he admitted to it up front or not.

I've got mixed feelings, but will come down on the side of saying he shouldn't have been hired to write for Procycling at this time.

Granted, he has admitted his use of drugs. However, the current circumstances in cycling are exceptional and require exceptional treatment to restore the image of our sport. I agree with Procycling's anti-doping stance, but what they've done is hypocritical. Sure they can justify what they've done as this article demonstrates, but if they're so anti-doping, should they put themselves in the position of needing to do so? It doesn't send a positive message.

People...please take a minute to understand Frankie could have went to the grave with this knowledge, however he wants to clean the sport. I feel most people do not understand the pressure in this sport, for many things. Tthere is no reason why Frankie shouldn't review product, if everyone wants to go the doping route, you might have no one left to review these bikes, at least by expro's....Frankie is one of the most understanding, honest and fair men I know....and I do know because I work for him and with him and he a class act. This is MY opinion and i'm not trying to push it one anyone, however I felt the need to say how much I support Frankie, that will never fade. I'm someone you has been lucky enough to have raced on the best team in the world and have been in the circle for a while..I think it's fantastic Procycling is supporting Frankie and i will buy this magizine just for that fact.

This is just one more reason it's worth taking the risk of doping, even if you get caught there's still idiots lining up to give you a 'second' chance. There's only one way to get doping under control in cycling, to make it such a high risk through both improving testing and more stringent penalties that the risk becomes unacceptable. That means life time bans on first offence and not being given other cycling related jobs.

To go somewhat OT, but in reality not; have we seen the news about Matina Hingis on Beeb website this AM?

Don't really care about her story but what amazed me was the tone of the report, the response from various Tennis bodies and fans.

Phil Liggett makes a good point (IMHO) about 'cycling' doing as much damage to iteslf by constantly washing it's dirty laundry in public. I don't mean to condone the dopers but no other sport seems to make the fuss 'we' do. A lot of you may say that it does no good pointing out others errors and ignoring your own (as Sir Matthew Pinsent was so happy to do in the Cycling Weekly interview recently) and you're right.

BUT

I'm fed up of having to defend cycling over and over.

On second thoughts I probably am condoning doping, or at least the cloak of silence, but you know what I really don't care anymore - if you really tink other sports are clean and we're dirty I say wake up to reality.

(gets off soap box)

Good attitude to have there NFERRAR. Hell, maybe we should have a public hanging of all the convicted drug cheats at the start of each stage. That should discourage them. I can see it now as the peleton set off under the swinging feet of the hanged.

And I can assure you a job in the cycle industry is almost a prison sentence in itself. The pay is rubbish and the majority of the time is spent dealing with a load of self righteous idiots.

as someone who watched the tour for the first time properly this year I feel that what happened is a disgrace (and a waste of a lot of hrs of my time)

that said....

the punishments should be stiff but allow for characters to reform and assist in the future irradication of the problem

its a complicated issue but i for one dont have a problem with Frankie joining the team

Puritanical = hypocritical.

In the US especially, many of us came from puritans and it seems we still embrace that philosophy -- as should apply to the way OTHER PEOPLE act.

But who among us hasn't broken a rule or many, and done things we later regret? I certainly have. Some of us take the clear record we preserve by grace of not having been caught or confessed, and believe that makes us a capable judge for those who have.

I favor reasonableness and forgiveness over damning people to hades for human mistakes. When someone is willing and strong enough to air their vices, it's not for me to say "not good enough."

If Andreu can contribute to the product Procycling puts out, and serve as a role model for others who want to renounce bad decisions of the past, I'll extend my subscription and not bat an eye about it.

Doping in cycling isn't a 'mistake' it's a clear attempt to cheat your way to improved results and the financial rewards that follow. The current 2-year ban obviously isn't sufficient risk/punishment for many riders as they continue to dope.

Sure there needs to be some carrot along with the stick, e.g. less emphasis on results (if you're going to get fired for not getting consistent top results you may as well try doping to get them) but that's hard to control as teams should be allowed to set their own targets for riders, they pay them after all.

As it is now cycling is still in a downward spiral and at the bottom is the collapse of pro cycling as we know it. Which multi-national companies in their right mind would risk sponsoring a pro cycling team in the current climate? Even if their team remains clean the crap from other teams having doping issues still hits them. The result being the money drains out of the sport. Along with that the fans also drift away as they can no longer appreciate cycling for what it should be and end up jsut speculating if the winner of a race was doping or not. If you have no sponsors and no fans you don't have a pro sport left.

If it takes permanent bans to avoid that it's well worth it in my eyes. To the guy that's talking about hanging - get a grip and try a reasoned argument...

DUBDEVIL wrote: "The pay is rubbish and the majority of the time is spent dealing with a load of self righteous idiots."

Now now... That's no way to talk about ProCycling staff ;-)

Hey NFERRAR, no reasonable argument remotely intended. That was just a piss take of your reasonable solution of banning cheats from “not being given other cycling related jobs” if caught.

I’d buy inner tubes of Frankie any day.

That's the last issue of ProCycling I buy. It's a complete farce!

It is reasonable to forgive those drug cheats who voluntarily and spontaneously own up.

Then there are those who seek forgiveness only when exposed - I do not buy a magazine that puts one of them on the cover or has an article on them. Let them wither on the vine.

As far as those who have purportedly not been exposed - I think we have to remember innocent until proven guilty.

Perhaps we need an amnesty with a deadline.