McQuaid fires back at Landis for cover-up comments

Pat McQuaid has called Floyd Landis a “liar” and threatened to sue him for claiming the International Cycling Union (UCI) has protected riders over the years by covering up positive doping tests.

On Sunday evening, on both German and French television, Landis claimed that “it is known in the peloton” that the UCI has “protected some people” over the years. He also accused the UCI of taking bribes, conducting cover ups and manipulating test results.

"It's very easy for Floyd Landis to make statements like that with no proof.,” McQuaid told the Irish Independent newspaper.

"Also, the journalist who interviewed him should have asked him for proof."

"He has already proven to be a liar and continues to be a liar. There is no truth in it, absolutely no truth in it."

The UCI president, who said he is considering legal action against Landis, said it would be “impossible to protect riders,” since the UCI is not the only agency to get the reports from the anti-doping tests. They are also sent to the World Anti-Doping Authority.

"All you have to do is look at the amount of big names that have been found positive over the years to show that I don't protect anybody and the UCI doesn't protect anybody," said McQuaid .

"Landis won the Tour and we went after him, Rasmussen was a Tour leader and we went after him, and now Contador. Landis talks about Clenbuterol being used. We've gone after Contador with only 50 pictograms of Clenbuterol in his system. This again proves that Landis' statement is complete fabrication."