‘Nothing to hide over Armstrong’

Cycling’s governing body has "nothing to hide" in relation to the Lance Armstrong doping affair, International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid said on Thursday.

Cycling’s governing body has "nothing to hide" in relation to the Lance Armstrong doping affair, International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid said on Thursday.

McQuaid also announced that the UCI planned to allow an external inquiry into the role played by those in charge during the Armstrong years.

The Irishman, who is set to stand for a third term in charge of the UCI in September, hit back at those, including the World Anti-Doping Agency, who have criticised the lack of action taken since the fall from grace of the former Tour de France winner.

"That's not correct. We have worked since Armstrong," said McQuaid.

He said that the UCI had set up an "independent commission" to investigate whether anyone was complicit in helping the Texan during the years when he managed to cheat his way to the pinnacle of the sport, but added that the commission had to be dissolved shortly after opening at the end of January because of a lack of support from the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Armstrong's downfall was brought about following the publication of a USADA report last year which found that he was responsible for the most sophisticated and successful doping programme in the history of the sport.

"I am sorry that it has to be abandoned but we could not afford the money that we wanted to spend on it and, having the report for just one side and the fact neither WADA nor USADA were prepared to collaborate to this commission, put us in a situation where we had no option but to cancel it and look at a different approach," McQuaid said of the commission's failure.

McQuaid added that he hoped an external inquiry into the UCI's activities could begin as soon as possible.