Stephen Roche says he has no problem with Lance Armstrong participating in a Tour de France charity ride this summer, and insists the disgraced American is entitled to "redemption" despite is notorious doping past.
The debate has been raging over whether Armstrong - who has admitted to drug-use, been stripped of seven Le Tour titles, and received a lifetime ban from the sport - should be allowed to cycle for charitable reasons.
The Texan is scheduled to ride the event after an invitation from former England footballer Geoff Thomas, whose charity, the Geoff Thomas Foundation, raises funds to fight cancer.
Armstrong has been warned not to take part in July's event by the chief of cycling's world governing body, the UCI. Brian Cookson says his participation would be wholly inappropriate.
But Roche, the 1987 Tour de France winner, told Chris on this morning's Newstalk Breakfast that he has no issue with it.
Listen to Stephen Roche's interview on Newstalk Breakfast here:
"I know that people are going to despise me for saying so, but I think we have got to move on," the Dubliner said.
"I think that he faulted - he wasn't the only one that faulted - he's been punished. He'll be punished for the rest of his life for what he did.
"But there is a redemption somewhere as well. Where does it start? Does it start this year, next year, in ten years' time? Does it start by doing a charity cycle?"
The 55-year-old added: "I believe in what he's doing. I know that by having Lance involved with Geoff Thomas in his charity to generate funds for leukaemia - I think that his overall picture will be a lot brighter.
"He will bring in a lot more money for very, very worthy causes. It's about going forward. We can't change the past. We must use the past to make the future better."
Thanks guys for all your support and comments, good and bad. I knew this would cause debate but my reasons go beyond opinions. Hope it helps
— Geoff Thomas (@GeoffThomasGTF) March 15, 2015
When Chris suggested Armstrong would be seen as "parking his tank back on lawn of Tour de France", Roche responded: "I think that's the way it's going to be taken. Geoff Thomas went and asked Lance Armstrong to come back.
"But we all know Lance, we all know how arrogant he is and can be, and I'm sure he is going to see it as being a great opportunity to get back at certain people. But he's going to come back sometime. We can't just leave him out there forever."
He continued: "Even Brian Cookson, the president of the UCI, he even said 'what I want to try and do is to find ways to reassure people - that people who have been involved in the sport, who may have faulted, have renounced. That they have a given a commitment to work with the UCI that respects the rules, and is clean'.
"[Cookson] said also you have to have some possibility for redemption in any judicial system."
Odd that Brian Cookson says @LanceArmstrong doing charity ride is 'disrespectful' when every TdF team will have former dopers on their staff
— sportingintelligence (@sportingintel) March 17, 2015
When Chris pointed that Cookson is against Armstrong's involvement this summer, the fomer Giro and Vuelta champion said: "He isn't the only one.
"He's not going to be involved in the Tour de France. He's going to be involved in a charity race that is going ahead of the race ... 24 hours, 48 hours ahead of the race."
Roche, whose son Florian suffered and recovered from leukaemia several years ago, continued: "It's all about creating awareness and generating some funds. I understand everyone is upset about it.
"I can speak from my heart because my son had leukaemia and he's on the straight now, thank God.
"And when you're involved with that, to see how far a euro goes, and how euros are lacking to fund research.
"So I'm speaking from a different perspective maybe than someone who just a general cyclist that's very disappointed in what Armstrong has done to the sport. So I know the power he has."
Roche with former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey after winning the Tour de France in 1987 (Inpho)
Florian's older brother, Nicolas, is of course a professional cyclist with six Tours de France under his belt. But Stephen Roche isn't worried about the potential for Armstrong to overshadow the men who should be the focus of the event - the competing professional cyclists.
"I don't think so," he said. "I think journalists themselves will probably boycott a certain amount and they will purposely separate one from the other. Geoff Thomas' charity ride and the Tour de France - no one's going to mix it up.
"Armstrong is going to come from one or two days and ride it, but it's not going to overshadow anything or anybody - the [Alberto] Contadors, the [Chris] Froomes, The Nicolases [Roche], they'll all have their moment of glory and they'll all get the credit they deserve in the newspapers ... it'll make a lot of noise now and it'll quieten down, I think."
As for what's in for Armstrong at this stage, Roche said: "It's difficult to know because Lance is a very, very special person.
"He wants to be able to compete at some level, whether it be in swimming, running, cycling. He wants to be able to get back into the sport because he's an athlete first of all.
"He knows what he's done and we can talk about him being punished so severely because he he's bullied everybody and done all kinds of stuff.
"He's a guy who needs to have attention. He needs to be appreciated for what he does.
"The dark side of him has overshadowed the good. Ultimaltely, he likes to be seen as a nice guy, a do-gooder.
"All the different problems he's had, the doping problems and his arrogance, have put a big black mark against him."
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