News that the UCI has asked the Belgian, Canadian, French, Australian and American cycling federations to investigate riders in the wake of the Floyd Landis doping allegations had several other governing organizations fuming.
“This is the biggest story in cycling and they shut us out,” said Boris Badinnov of the Russian cycling federation. “We have investigators, former KBG agents, they will get the truth from Landis. There’s no reason to leave us out of the excitment.”
The oversight was also not appreciated in Spain where federation head Miguel Ladroga was furious. “The Valverde story is almost over and soon we will have nothing to argue about. Spain refuses to give up our leadership position at the center of all doping controversies. I have called Patrick McQuaid and lodged a strong protest.”
In China, reactions were no less vociferous. “Chinese cycling not to accept exclusion from Landis inquiry. We are super power. We demand right to engage in fact-poking mission to Lance Armstrong,” said federation president Hu Yinyang.
The UCI has as yet issued no explanation why other cycling federations were not invited to this investigation.
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