Donna, I have no idea what proof exists against Lance. I do know that he has undergone some 500+ drug tests over his racing career that have all come out negative. Also that 10 or so ex-teammates have said that they'd been with him when he took performance-enhancing drugs.

I have heard the "he'd fight it if he were truly innocent" defense from several knowledgeable people and, while there is certainly truth to it, I do not automatically assume that any person, TDF winner, cancer patient or neither, would take on an extremely lengthy and costly defense of potentially trumped-up charges with no guarantees at the end.

This isn't what I'd call "an obstacle or two." From what I've heard it could cost millions to try and "clear his name" (money which presumably he has), to say nothing of up to 5 years in court. I for one would think long and hard about heading into that particular buzzsaw. With young children and life after all being finite, do I really want to spend the next 5 years of my life in a courtroom?

Then there's the reality of the World Anti-Doping Agency itself, an organization that makes its own rules and has a history of dodgy test results. Athletes who choose to fight their potentially spurious findings have no recourse but to go to arbitration... and guess who sets the terms and the rules?

All of which is to say that I don't think there are any quick answers here. But it's surely a topic worthy of discussion!