Ahead of this year's Tour de France, cyclists protested against the ongoing suspicion surrounding doping, claiming it unfairly tarnishes their reputation due to past scandals. Lance Armstrong's recent comments about doping in cycling have amplified these frustrations, with riders expressing that they feel victimized by the scrutiny. Tour director Christian Prudhomme supported the riders' concerns, highlighting the recurring doping narratives that emerge annually before the event.

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2. On the eve of this year's Tour de France, riders
protested angrily against the burden of suspicion they
have been forced to carry because of the doping
practices by the previous generation.
In a statement, the riders said it is degrading to be
dragged through the mud and be run down by some
who look to make money on our backs. The
statement was issued after Lance Armstrong was
quoted by Le Monde newspaper as saying it was
impossible to win the Tour de France without doping.

3. The cyclist, stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for
life from cycling, also said he still considers himself the record-holder
for Tour victories. He added that his life has been ruined by the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency investigation and said the USADA investigation
did not paint a faithful picture of cycling from the end of the 1980s to
today. He added that all the investigation did was to destroying one
man’s life that did not benefit cycling at all.
Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme backed the complaints
of the riders and said almost every year a doping-related story breaks
days before the Tour and remarked the Tour is a unique opportunity
for some to communicate their message. Prudhomme said he can
appreciate that some agendas have nothing to do with cycling but 14
times in the last 15 years, it cannot be a coincidence.