Cycling federation president Pat McQuaid is waiting for a visit and an apology from Lance Armstrong.
McQuaid said Armstrong should travel to UCI headquarters in Switzerland to tell all about his doping history and offer to help clean up the sport.
“He should jump on his private plane, come to Switzerland and say, ‘What should I do?’” McQuaid told reporters. “He still hasn’t apologised to the sport of cycling. If he has information that is valuable to the sport he should come forward.”
McQuaid said Armstrong should also meet with the US Anti-Doping Agency and World Anti-Doping Agency to provide full details on how he cheated to win the Tour de France seven times. The American was stripped of all the titles last year after admitting to doping. “Everyone accepts he has not come clean,” McQuaid said. “He should sit down and work with us.”
McQuaid and the UCI have come under fire for failing to catch Armstrong and the federation has been accused of complicity and cover-ups in his cheating. But, in a wide-ranging interview with reporters on the sideline of the SportAccord Convention, McQuaid repeatedly defended himself, the UCI and former president Hein Verbruggen. “I do not think the UCI made mistakes,” the Irish official said. “The facts show the UCI was always the most advanced federation in the fight against doping. The problem was the products that couldn’t be tested for at the time. There were no tests available for the products.
“Ten or 15 years ago, the armoury was much weaker. Today we are spending 7.5 million euros a year on testing. We are not spending the money to let cheats get away.”
McQuaid said the UCI tested Armstrong 200 times between 1999 and 2005, while USADA tested him 12 times during that period. “All the blame has been put on the UCI,” he said. “Maybe USADA and WADA should also take some responsibility.”