Boardman: Tour de France will be cleanest ever

Chris Boardman is "virtually certain" this summer's Tour de France will be the cleanest in history.

Cycling was rocked earlier this week by the news Franco Pellizotti has been banned from this year's Giro D'Italia after the International Cycling Union (UCI) requested disciplinary proceedings against the Liquigas rider of apparent violation of the anti-doping rules.

The case, which relates to suspicious data found in the Italian's biological passport, is the latest in a long line of doping controversies to have dogged the sport.

Last year the UCI embarked upon the biggest screening of riders to have ever participated in the Tour de France after high-profile doping cases involving the likes of Floyd Landis and Thomas Dekker tarnished cycling's image.

Boardman, who wore the yellow jersey for a total of five days during the six times he participated in the race, believes the introduction of biological passports in 2008, and the threat of longer bans has caused a change in culture in the sport.

"I'm virtually certain that the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia will be cleaner than they have ever been before," said Boardman.

"I think they'll be cleaner because the risk is becoming greater than the reward which is how it always should have been.

"I think the introduction of the biological passports is a very good thing and it has been welcomed widely by the teams.

"There has been a big culture change in the sport and I think that makes a big difference because now it isn't just an individual who is kicked out of the team for a couple of years, it is the whole teams themselves that could get kicked out. They could lose their sponsorship money. So the teams themselves want to self-police. It marks a big change in culture."

One man who will be hoping to build on the three stage wins he amassed on the Tour last year is Briton Mark Cavendish.

The Isle of Man rider has been at the centre of controversy recently by choosing to mark his stage win in the Tour de Romandie by aiming a two-fingered salute towards his critics.

Boardman, who won gold for Britain during the 1992 Olympics, has leapt to the defence of his compatriot by insisting the 24-year-old's actions should be welcomed, and not criticised.

"When you saw him make that v-sign as he crossed the line you saw a man who is passionate about what he does," said Boardman.

"He always expresses himself but he doesn't always do it in the most politically correct way but at least he does express himself and at least he stands out from the crowd and that's a good thing.

"I don't think he is going into meltdown. He is just being himself. He is just coming up to steam."