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Detractors have agenda, says McQuaid

Date: December 15 2012

AIGLE, SWITZERLAND: The three-time winner of the Tour de France, Greg LeMond, was ''arrogant'' in offering to act as interim president of the International Cycling Union should incumbent Pat McQuaid give in to calls for his resignation, McQuaid says.

''Greg was a great cyclist who I've known since the time when I was the organiser of the Tour of Ireland back in the 1980s, but I would ask him: 'What have you done for cycling in the past 25 years?' The answer is: nothing,'' McQuaid said.


Asked if he had been stung by calls for his resignation following the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, McQuaid said: ''Personally? No. Most of the people who were calling for my resignation had nothing to do with cycling and I think they were wrong to do so. People involved in cycling who I work with every day know what I have achieved as president.''

He added: ''I think there is enough proof that the state of cycling is completely different today to what it was in the Armstrong era.''

He also dismissed the lobby group Change Cycling Now as having a hidden agenda. ''They have discussed nothing with us, they only spoke of their own interests for two days in London,'' he said. ''They are not part of cycling, they have no mandate, no status, but they do have a conflict of interest.

''It seems clear to me that their leader, Jaime Fuller [head of the Australian company Skins], is seeking to further his own business interests. Then there is a journalist who wants to promote a book coming out shortly and a haematologist who claims to have a method of detecting blood transfusions for the next Tour de France. Why are they not working with the UCI or the World Anti-Doping Association?''

The UCI has appointed an independent commission to investigate the Armstrong affair after the US Anti-Doping Association uncovered proof of systematic doping and McQuaid said: ''If their report makes recommendations, we will implement them. If they say our attitude was inadequate, we'll take the necessary measures to ensure that this sort of thing won't happen again in the future with a big name rider.


Meanwhile, the Rabobank team, left high and dry by the withdrawal of their sponsor from professional cycling, have found a new patron and will be able to start the 2013 season after all.

From January 1, the team will ride under the banner of Blanco Pro Cycling, the team's new Dutch manager announced on Thursday.

Rabobank, which has sponsored a professional cycling team for the past 17 years, announced in October it would sever its ties with the team from December 31, claiming the sport had been irrevocably damaged by a succession of doping cases.

The bank will continue to sponsor a women's team, led by Olympic champion Marianne Vos, at least until the 2016 Games in Rio.



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