Say what you want about how dirty the sport of cycling is. I probably wouldn’t disagree with you.

I can’t think of a sport out there at the moment that, collectively, has a more negative image than the sport of cycling.

And although Denmark’s Michael Rasmussen, the leader of this year’s Tour de France, has not actually been proven guilty of any wrongdoing, his disappointing lack of integrity which led to his sudden dismissal from the Rabobank team midway through the Tour has once again proven to us that whatever shred of credibility the sport of cycling still holds has all but disappeared.

The Tim Donaghy match-fixing scandal that rocked the NBA a few days ago seems merely an isolated case (we hope), a drop in the ocean compared to the way cycling has continuously shot itself in the foot the last few years.

This week alone, two other Tour cyclists have failed tests. 2006′s Tour de France winner Floyd Landis tested positive for testosterone. And there are many other doping scandals that have plagued the Tour over the years.

Lance Armstrong, to his enormous credit, has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs throughout his illustrious career.

…

I think I’ve only ever closely followed one Tour de France on TV before. (That was the ’05 Tour, which was Lance Armstrong’s final appearance. It was also his 7th successive Tour victory.)

I really enjoyed following the Tour every night on telly back then.

It just struck me that the Tour de France is one of the most beautiful sporting events a sports fan can ever witness on TV.

I mean, which other sport offers you three weeks’ worth of breathtaking scenery?

It’s as if you are going on a splendid journey through France…through the alps to the quaint little French villages to the serene countryside…and finally ending off in the grand city of Paris, along the Champs Elysees.

It is indeed the greatest advertisement for the beauty of France.