Cycling ace Tom Boonen tests positive for cocaine
Dear girls, I let you know this terrible news before you should hear it elsewhere. Our hero Tom Boonen has tooken cocaine. He has been -*test*-('")ed on May 25. We don't know what to say. Our Tom and cocaine ? Such a normal pure boy. Last year he was the face of 'life line' an action for save traffic for the cycling children. We don't understand it. It has given the entire of Belgium a great shock and also in the whole sportworld. We are very sad. Why, why, why ? Today June the 10th is a sad day, a day that we will never forget. Tom can forget the Tour of Switserland and perhaps the Tour de France. What a shame. I don't understand the world anymore :crying Here the site from CNN : www.savethis.com

I'm sorry to learnTom Boonen -*test*-('")ed positive to cocaine. It must be disappointing to hear this of someone you hoped was a normal pure boy. Honestly, I've lost hope to find a professional sportsperson who never resorted to doping. I remember that twenty years ago my physical education teacher at high school kept saying that it is hypocritical to think that there's still someone not doped in the world of professional sport, because the limits had already been pushed too far or the level of activity was too intense, so the real ability was not doing without doping, but rather using doping without getting caught... sigh...

What a complete shame! So much going for these athletes, and then,they get sucked-in by such fool-hearty and destructive activities to their potentially great careers. What a waste!

Oh! I'm sorry to hear that Marthe. I hope this will be a wake-up call for him and that he will realize how much he could lose if he continues to use illegal drugs. Something like this is so disappointing, but we can only hope that is spurs him to reassess, reform, go on to better things and truly be the role model he was once thought to be.

Thank you girls. Tom had apologised at a press conference for his behaviour. He has not said that he has used cocaine and not that he has not used it. It is great disaster for everybody. The whole Boonen world is falling to pieces. Every fan is very disillusionned. Some of them are so sad that they cannot talk anymore. But how bad it is, every fan is still 100 % for Tom. But he may not participate the Tour of France. And that is everything for a cyclist. His dear grandmother does not believe that he has used cocaine. She said that he was get caught by some jealous people. It is a fact that in Belgium there are a lot of corrupt people who want to break him. But we will never know. For those who are interested in his site ( it is also in Englisch ) www.tomboonen.be.

Well, I do know that in the cycling world there is a lot of problems with the drug -*test*-('")ing and corruption allegations. Hopefully, Tom will continue to get support even though people are disappointed. We fans have to remember that people we set on a pedestal are human. They have faults and make mistakes. I hope they will give him a second chance.

You're right' GG - we are all only human and can only hope to learn from our mistakes. But the pressure to be superhuman in sport these days has to take some of the blame, in my view.

I agree with you, Stevie, that you are really under too much pressure to be superhuman in sport these days.

Thank you dear girls, your words comfort me. And I really need it because I am very sad about the whole story. My son Tom and I do think about it the whole time. For my son, Tom Boonen is also his great hero. He was also so longing for the Tour. I hope Tom Boonen gets a second chance. But people are so cruel. They have already made a lot of jokes about Tom. Everywhere you can read them, on Internet, in newspapers, everywhere you come, people are mocking at him. It is so painful. I hate such people. Are they so pure, and without sins ? Nobody is infallible. Sory that I am so embittered. I hope it will pass by. We pray that Tom does not do stupid things, but he can count on his family, his dear girlfriend Lore, his team, his coach and of course all his fans. And if you read his guestbook on his website, you can see he has a lot of fans in America. We all have been hurt, we all can hate him. But everybody deserves a second chance. Thank you again.

I also hope Tom Boonen is given a second chance. He made a mistake, but I'm sure he knows better now and will try not to do the same mistake again.

Marte, while I know it's not the same as having Tom Boonen in the Tour, it looks like one of your countrymen Phillip Gilbert did a fantastic job in the first stage of the Tour by coming in second place. I'm not familiar with him. Does he have the potential to do well in the overall Tour? I'm still trying to find the channel that shows the race as they ususally play it several times a day and I missed today's stage.

Indeed Gaff, the Tour is not the same without Tom Boonen. Last Friday there was the introduction of the Tour in Brest France. We, fans, all had a strange feeling because now we realized, Tom Boonen was not there. He was not in the Tour although last weeks we had hope. For us the Tour is a always a big feast and also three weeks of tension. But now without Tom the Tour seems empty. It is hard but we must accept it. Gaff I appreciate your interest in the Tour and the Belgian racers. Philippe Gilbert is indeed a strong racer. He is not like Tom Boonen, he is very humble and is not such a public person. But that is why he is still a bit unknown. He is born on 5.7.1982, so yesterday it was his birthday. What a pity he did not win, but second place is also very good. He is with the team Française des jeux, not the same team of Tom Boonen (Quick.Step-Innergetic). Quick.Stephopes to win some stages and there hope is now placed on Stijn Devolder, also a strong racer but not a Tom Boonen. For the moment Tom Boonen participates the Tour of Austria (6-13/7/2008). He needs to practice a lot if he wants to be strong in the World Championship in Italy on the 28 September. Tom had some bad weeks after what happened, but he still has won a stage in The Netherlands. Last week there was the Belgian Championship. But he had bad luck. Just before the finish an other cyclist hitched the wheel of his bike and for a few moments he lost control and the first place and the Championship was not for him. I was sorry for him. Here some pictures that he can smile again :

I'm glad to hear he is trying to put everything back together and hopefully, by next year, he will be able to do the tour again.