Reaction from the big names in cycling to Alexandre Vinokourov's positive doping test.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme:

"This has to change now. The re-conquering of cycling has to be done with the Tour de France. I started this job believing that we could change this system but it's not enough: there has to be a revolution. The start in London was a formidable occasion to re-conquer, but there has been an absolute failure of the system."

Patric Clerc, chairman of Tour organisers Amaury Sport:

"[Stopping the Tour] never crossed my mind. You know Christian and I said many times that we started a war against doping, in a war there are casualties, the Tour de France is going through a black phase but it's out of the question to give up, and to leave room for cheaters. It's out of the question not to be true to our beliefs."

Astana team manager Marc Biver:

"For the staff, especially the technicians and all the people around the team it was a huge shock. We have 64 employees, which means 64 families who have to make a living. The current situation puts the job of these people at risk and our support is specially focused on this people. I also have to say that it's extremely irresponsible to have done these manipulations, which still haven't been proved. It is very detrimental for the image of the team and of the athlete himself."

Green jersey Tom Boonen:

"Everybody is saying, 'this is bad, this is not good for cycling,' it is good for cycling. If he didn't caught him, that would be bad for cycling. Now I'm sure that 95 to 99 percent of the riders are doing a good and a clean job. There's always guys who are trying to cheat, but it's not because if you take a school class and one guy's cheating, you don't get the entire class out of the school, you get the one guy and that's what we're trying to do in cycling right now. They want it to change in one minute, but it's hard because you're working with guys like this. Last night when they told me, I didn't speak for 50 minutes, because I couldn't believe it that they're still so stupid like this. It was a beautiful Tour until now. We're trying to keep the atmosphere up and keep it a good Tour, but it's not that easy."

Briton Bradley Wiggins (fifth in stage 13 time trial won by Vinokourov):

"I know that to put two minutes into me what power Vino would need and the effort he would have had to make and it didn't add up. At the time I was frightened of what I might say. I didn't want to accuse people because they had beaten me outright."

Brition David Millar (stage winner 2000):

"That is a surprise. I don't know what to say. Vino is one of my favourite riders. He is a guy of class. Given what we have done, with our current situation, we may as well pack our bags and go home...... No, I don't believe the Tour should stop here. We are 40 years after [Tom] Simpson's death and the Tour still goes on."

Five-time Tour winner Eddy Merckx:

"This new scandal has left me K.O.'d. Since the start, they talked only of doping on Belgian television. And now, I learn that Vinokourov has played with his blood and that he's leaving. It might be a good thing. We know now that it's difficult to cheat and those who break the rules are caught. But, for me, that's the end of cycling. And, I hope, the start of other things."

Cofidis team manager Eric Boyer:

"I feel sick. I hope that Vinokourov won't be a coward and deny everything. He said that he worked with [controversial doctor] Ferrari just for training plans. He always told us what a brave guy he is, that he is stronger than the pain, that the French ride behind everyone else because they are lazier. Now we see that he is a big b******. These practices discredit all of cycling again."

Francaise des Jeux team manager Marc Madiot:

"A surprise? Not really!"

Credit Agricole team manager Roger Legeay:

"What a shock. That is unbearable. Where do we go from here? Now is when all that has been put in place over the years, the ethical charters, the agreements, need to be applied. We must be intractable and say 'Get Out!'"

Eurosport