The reasons for bans are primarily for the credibility of the sport. If the sponsors associate with riders who do drugs, then get light penalties and return quickly to racing, the sponsors become facilitators in the eyes of the fan, the consumer. The sponsor's name becomes sullied, and the advertising values fall. Then the teams and riders don't get paid as much.

I still remember the drug users from years ago. How many people remember the Michel Pollentier incident? I still remember that and the team he was riding for. How many people remember that Francesco Casagrande had a victory in the San Sebastian taken away because of drug use? That was a few years ago.

The sponsors and the sport suffers greatly from the use of performance enhancing drugs by some riders, and I think the penalties should be stiff enough to affect the riders career. They should be forced to consider the possibility of losing their career if they try to cheat to improve it.

Therefore, I think that 2 yr penalties for obvious verifiable offenses are not uncalled for. This is the length of time that can break a riders chances of being able to maintain the strength and skill needed to ride with the peloton. He/she would also be forced to reestablish themselves, probably at a considerably lower wage.

I do not forget riders like Laurent Jalabert, Eric Zabel, Lance Armstrong, Greg Lemond and others who've had victory after victory without the benefit of performance enhancing drugs. Their sponsors got their moneys worth. Throw the cheats out.