McQuaid comments on USADA lifetime bans

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The UCI has refused to comment on the news that USADA has handed uncontested doping bans to three doctors involved in the US Postal case but the body’s president Pat McQuaid said that the UCI could not act on the USADA ruling. Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral (cycling team doctor), Dr. Michele Ferrari (cycling team consulting doctor) and Jose "Pepe" Martí (cycling team trainer) have all received lifetime periods of ineligibility.

At the start of stage 10 of the Tour in Macon, McQuaid told Cyclingnews that the sport’s universal governing body had next to nothing to do with a doping case surrounding seven time winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong.

“I’ve read what they’ve said but as they’re not licence holders so I don’t know how they can ban them or what they can be banned for,” he told Cyclingnews.

“I don’t want to comment. The UCI has already said that we’re not involved in this investigation and our last press release we said we would not comment. So don’t ask me. If you want to talk about it ask USADA, not me.”

Last month Dr. Michael Ashenden, a former independent member of the UCI's passport panel, told Cyclingnews that USADA’s charges against Armstrong could have serious implications for the UCI’s credibility.

“People can say what they want, and make statements but the UCI is not involved in it so don’t ask me to comment. We’re not commenting on the Armstrong investigation and that remains the case. Let USADA carry on with this investigation,” McQuaid said.

When asked if he had received direct communication from the USADA McQuaid refused to comment.

The UCI has faced allegations of a cover-up test for Armstrong during his racing career. The allegations, which have been made by Floyd Landis, were strenuously denied by Armstrong and the UCI but in USADA’s notice letter to the banned doctor, Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel, the Lausanne lab and a meeting between Armstrong, Bruyneel and Dr Martial Saugy, who conducted the tests, was mentioned.

Last month Ashenden told Cyclingnews that: “I know the UCI have strenuously denied this allegation in the past, but the story has added gravity now because USADA believe that there is sufficient evidence to warrant mentioning the issue in their notice letter. The UCI have a duty to the fans and the public in general to police their sport without fear or favor. If it were found that they had in any way been involved in a cover up then it would be fatal for their credibility.”