Armstrong cuts charity ties

Following the International Cycling Union's decision to uphold Lance Armstrong's lifetime ban for doping and strip him of his seven Tour de France titles, there were calls for the disgraced cyclist to remove reference to the titles from his Twitter account.

He has now updated his profile.

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An insurance company in Texas is to demand the return of $7.5 million in bonus money paid to Lance Armstrong.

Tailwind Sports, which owned the US Postal Service team, gave Armstrong bonuses for winning Tour De France titles and paid premiums on policies covering those bonuses.

Tailwind secured the insurance policies through a variety of companies, including one called SCA.

SCA's lawyer Jeffrey Tillotson said: "The bonus that was owed was based on the premise that Lance Armstrong was the winner of the Tour De France..

"He is no longer the official winner, so it would be improper for him to keep those funds."

It is standard practice to insure bonuses and salaries in sports businesses.

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The reaction of the president of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) into the USDA report on Lance Armstrong has been called into question by the Sunday Times chief sports writer David Walsh.

Speaking to RTE, Walsh said: "Pat McQuaid is giving the impression that this report shocked him. My question to Pat is, 'how could it shock you'?

"All the evidence has been out there for a long time. Floyd Landis sent his e-mails two years ago. Did Pat McQuaid ring up Floyd Landis and say ‘Floyd what you’re saying is unbelievable. I need to speak to you. I need you to give me details’."

The journalist, who has been at the forefront of doping investigations, said in 2006 Frankie Andreu, a former US Postal rider, was interviewed by the New York Times and said 'I doped to help Lance Armstrong win his first Tour de France in 1999'.

Walsh said Pat McQuaid was President of UCI at that time.

He added: "Did he ring up Frankie Andreu and say ‘Frankie you doped to help Lance. Was there much doping in the team? Could we speak? Will you tell me more?'"

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Sunglasses manufacturer Oakley has ended its association with disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong after his lifetime ban from the sport was upheld by the UCI, Reuters has reported.

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UCI president Pat McQuaid has defended the governing body's acceptance of more than $100,000 in donations from Lance Armstrong while he was under suspicion of doping.

Asked how he could justify accepting the money, Mr McQuaid said the donation "was (accepted) openly and put to good use."

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The doping scandal that has brought about the life ban for Lance Armstrong and disgraced several past Tour de France winners is "the biggest crisis" in cycling's chequered history, the UCI president has said.

Pat McQuaid said drugs will always play a part in the sport, and it was the job of officials to "weed it out."

But, adapting a famous quote from former US President John F Kennedy, he said that cycling's drugs crisis brought about "danger", but also a fresh "opportunity" to clean the sport up.

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International Cycling Union president Pat McQuaid has said the "assistance of police and government authorities is very important" in the attempt to stop teams and athletes from doping, because the sport's governing body is limited in its powers.

You must remember that very few governments had laws about doping in sport. We've also developed collaborations with other anti-doping agencies. But it would be wonderful if we have police powers, but we don't.

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UCI president Pat McQuaid said there is a role for reformed drug cheats in the future running of cycling as the sport attempts to clean up its damaged reputation.

"People who have been involved in doping can do a lot of good for the sport," he said at the Geneva news conference.

"It is still possible for people who have made mistakes in the past" to have a role in its future, he added.

However, he effectively ruled out any involvement from Lance Armstrong should he admit a doping past. "Lance Armstrong deserves to be forgotten in cycling," he said.

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UCI president Pat McQuaid said he was "sickened" by the USADA report which accused Lance Armstrong of "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

Mr McQuaid said the American, whose results in the sport since 1998 have been wiped away as a result of the UCI's ban, "has no place in cycling".

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