Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to write about two American riders who have found themselves at odds with their domestic road teams over matters that aren’t strictly related to their jobs.

In Matt DeCanio’s case, Ofoto-Sierra Nevada released him for expressing an admittedly controversial view of drug use in cycling. As for David Clinger, Webcor told him that his new full-face Maori-style tattoo was not an image the team cared to be associated with.

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Who draws the line between rights and responsibilities?

I’m not going to weigh in with my opinion on either case - at least, not in this week’s column - primarily because I wrote the pieces, but also because there are a total of four sides to the two cases, and I can understand all four of them.

(Well, I can’t actually understand wanting a tattoo on my face, but I can respect an individual’s right to self-expression. That’s just at the far end of the self-expression continuum.)

Ofoto-Sierra Nevada and Webcor teams clearly feared the result that continued association with their respective riders might have on their sponsorship potential. And it’s hard to argue with that, considering that sponsorship is the lifeblood of a pro cycling team. In pro cycling, sponsor representation is the name of the game – and if you don’t like the game, no one says you have to play.

And if you think this sort of thing is limited to professional cycling, consider this piece by Jeremy Peters of The New York Times. It's about Weyco, a Michigan company that requires its 200 employees to refrain from smoking – not just on the job, but anywhere – and take breathalyzer tests to prove they’re clean. Anyone that fails is fired.

I don’t understand habitual smoking any more than I understand the desire for a full-face tat’. But I do respect an individual’s right to choose whether to smoke, no matter how self-destructive it is. Your body; your choice. Right?

Not according to Weyco president Howard Weyers. He points to a 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control that claimed annual productivity losses and health care costs were $3391 per smoker. Weyers told The Times that he simply doesn’t have that kind of money to spare. Employees’ behavior outside the workplace is affecting his company’s productivity and profits. And you can see his point.

“And while Weyco's strict no-smoking policy is drawing the ire of civil-liberties groups,” Peters writes, “it is within the bounds of employment law in Michigan. The state is one of 20 that has no laws preventing employers from firing workers who smoke even when they are not at work.”

The article went on to mention other examples of company policies that have pertained to outside-the-workplace behavior: “Until the mid-1990's, the airlines enforced policies that limited how much a flight attendant could weigh. In the 1980's, Electronic Data Systems, the computer software company founded by Ross Perot, had a policy barring facial hair, and fired an employee who said that he wore a beard for religious reasons. In 1989, a company in Indiana fired an employee for drinking after work, a violation of the company's no-alcohol policy. And just last September, a company in Alabama fired a woman who drove to work with a Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker.”

Sure, these instances are all pretty ridiculous and most would agree outside of what should be punishable by an employer. But where is the line drawn between employee responsibility and individual rights? More and more, it seems the line is drawn where the employer dictates, and the employee has no choice but to toe it. As Weyer would argue: “You work for me, this is what I expect. You don't like it? Go someplace else.”

In DeCanio’s case, he’s likely burned his last bridge with any existing teams, and it’s doubtful that he can go someplace else. I fear that, for him, his only chance to return to the sport at the elite level is to find some sort of punk-rock, anti-establishment sponsor that might be willing to - or even eager to - stand behind his out-there, paramilitary stance against drugs in the sport.

If DeCanio does find that sponsor, and Clinger hasn’t finished his tattoo-removal treatments, you can bet a Maori tattoo would fit that team’s image perfectly.

Well, that’s it for this week, as the VeloNews editorial staff is deep into the annual Buyer’s Guide. It’s looking better than ever, and must be already working its magic, because somehow in the past week I’ve convinced myself it’s time to buy a full-suspension mountain bike. But do check back Monday for a special, one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day column.

What sort of line do you have to toe on the job? Wear a tie? Wear a hairnet? Lie down in a puddle in the parking lot so the boss can navigate from Bentley to boardroom without spoiling the shine on his Florsheims? Send your codes of conduct to webletters@insideinc.com by close of business today, with your full name, hometown and state, or you're fired. You think you're the only people who want to read this website? We've got a stack of résumés this thick on our desk.