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Lance Armstrong,
pictured, is due to ride with Geoff Thomas next month to raise money for Cure
Leukaemia
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Geoff Thomas insists Lance Armstrong deserves his shot at
redemption and believes he can help save lives.
The former England
international wants the disgraced cyclist to be able to move on and start to
repair his reputation. He has invited Armstrong
to join him on his charity ride for Cure Leukaemia as he races the Tour de
France route 24 hours ahead of the main event next month.
Armstrong was stripped of
his seven Tour de France titles in 2012 and confessed to doping in 2013, ending
years of denials.
Press Association reports:
Brian Cookson, chairman
of UCI, world cycling's governing body, has criticized Armstrong's return to
France while Team Sky chief Sir David Brailsford also raised concerns.
Thomas was diagnosed with
chronic myeloid leukaemia in 2003 and given three months to live, but has been
in remission since 2005 after receiving a bone marrow transplant from sister
Kay.
He is aiming to raise
£1milllion by first cycling from London to Paris next week and then the main
Tour route.
And now Armstrong is
involved, Thomas reckons the time is right to allow him to move forward.
"The question is how
long do you want to keep kicking him and stop him living his life? He has paid
his price and in the future he'll have to pay more, financially as well,"
he told Press Association Sport.
"Hopefully the sport
has moved on but the hypocrisy in sport at the moment, not just in cycling, is
getting out of hand and it's time we started looking at it in the clear light
of day, start to move on and recognize there are problems all over the place.
"I don't condone
what he did. I look at the man as a cancer survivor who has raised 500million
dollars for his charity and that's what he wants to do in the future.
"If I can offer him
a first step towards his road to redemption and he raises millions in the
future I can't see that doing any harm."
During a training camp
with Thomas in the United States this month Armstrong likened himself to Harry
Potter villain Voldemort, saying he cannot be mentioned within cycling.
"I was there while
the press conference was going on and it was fascinating. He knows he is seen
as this figure people associate with that period of cycling," said Thomas,
who has already raised over £500,000 ahead of the ride.
"He took all the
plaudits on the way up and he's the one taking all the grief on the way down.
He takes that on the chin but his frustration is the story doesn't come out as
a grown up conversation, it becomes a bit of a battle.
"It needs to be a
group of people sat round the table, lay everything down and for it to be even
televised. Then the truth is out there, black and white. There's an awful lot
more to this story than what's being said at the moment."
The dates when Armstrong
will ride are yet to be confirmed but he is set to link up with Thomas for two
stages.
Thomas has come in for
criticism for his involvement with Armstrong, and understands why, but believes
the publicity generated will only help Cure Leukaemia.
He said: "Everyone
is human and it does get to you. You have to ignore it but it does leave a
little bit of a bitter taste in your mouth. I spoke to enough people to know
it's the right thing to do.
"There's no point
being sidetracked by silly tittle-tattle on Twitter. Life is about opinions but
I don't want opinions stopping me trying to do good.
"Lance has had it
for so many years now but for me it's a new experience. I have split people's
ideas of what we're trying to do.
"I keep coming back
to the reason why we're doing it.
"It's gone worldwide
and if we can keep the momentum going and the good news stories which can come
off the back of this then it'll be worth it."
England Under-20 manager
Aidy Boothroyd, ex-Palace team-mate Ian Wright and West Brom goalkeeper Ben
Foster are joining Thomas to cycle from London to Paris next week.
The former Wolves
midfielder has been raising money for almost a decade having been treated by
Professor Charlie Craddock, director of the blood and marrow transplant unit at
the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and hopes to help Craddock
eliminate blood cancer.
"He was seen as a
maverick when I first started raising money. He really believes in 30 years
blood cancer will be eradicated. In the UK alone 30,000 are diagnosed and, even
in adults, half of them are passing away," said the 50-year-old, who
earned nine England caps.
"If we can get more
funds into the system that 30 years becomes less and less. That means an awful
lot, once you get touched by it you realize it could be someone else you love
who gets diagnosed tomorrow.
"Football gave me a
nice lifestyle but I came into it late, I was an apprentice electrician before
that so I knew what proper work was all about.
"I was pampered but
then you get diagnosed and I was told three months might be it and it puts you
on a different track.
"You survive it and realize you are very fortunate. When I was battling the illness I met so many
people who didn't make it and those are the people I don't forget."
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