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You can't really describe how difficult it is to deal with. It is any athlete's worst nightmare to be accused of cheating by taking drugs. It really is very difficult to put into words how it makes you feel.

Illegal drug use runs contrary to the image of health depicted by cycling. Distributors of these drugs must be prosecuted more harshly as they are ciminals.

Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error of judgment.

Does that mean we should give up? Probably. But there are two issues worth considering. The first is - is it really true that drugs destroy the integrity of the game?

In fact cycling has always been 'saved' by judicial investigations and not by the anti-doping controls we put in place. That's the harsh truth. We have relied on them to clean the sport up.

There will always be cheaters. It is human nature. It will never be 100 percent clean, in any sport.

My stance has always been that there's no place in our sport for drug users. I've always said it's a ban for life if you come up positive. I stand by that.

Selling drug secrets violates a trust that is fundamental to the integrity of both scientific research and our financial markets.

An aggressive drug-testing program would cut down on certain abuses, but its never going to catch everyone - or even close to everyone.