Let Armstrong move on with life - Thomas

Lance Armstrong should be allowed to get on with his life, Geoff Thomas has said. Credit: PA

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.

Brian Cookson, chairman of UCI, world cycling's governing body, has criticised 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.

Brian Cookson has been critical of Armstrong. Credit: PA

"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 recognise 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."