UCI not fit to hear Lance Armstrong's case, says Usada's Travis Tygart
Usada chief says the UCI is tainted by allegations of a cover-up and should not rule over the case
American jurors and US anti-doping officials should decide Lance Armstrong's fate rather than the International Cycling Union, the main investigator who has chased Armstrong for years has said.
As Spain's "Operation Puerto" trial opened yesterday, promising fresh doping revelations in the wake of the American rider's recent confession, US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) chief executive Travis Tygart said he thinks the US Justice Department should join a fraud case against Armstrong.
And Tygart also wants Armstrong to testify before Usada rather than the world cycling governing body UCI, saying Usada-gathered evidence contradicts Armstrong's claims that UCI never assisted him in covering up a positive test.
"He exonerated, essentially, the UCI and our information, and the evidence, is different than that," Tygart said. "I think their involvement was a lot deeper in him pulling off this heist than he was willing to admit to."
Tygart has imposed a February 6 deadline for Armstrong to testify under oath before Usada or lose any chance of having his life ban reduced.
