Hushovd: "I have never seen drugs in cycling"

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With great power comes great responsibility and new world champion Thor Hushovd is already facing more media attention, having recently been questioned on his stance on doping.

In an interview with his national press the sprinter said he had never used drugs, in or out of the sport. However he acknowledged that the problem exists, but added that doping would have a limited effect on his racing ability.

“I think overall that it has a greater effect on the riders who must be good every day for a long period of time, and who must consistently ride very fast. It's harder for them than it is, for example, for us sprinters,” he told the Norwegian website NRK Sport.

“I have never seen drugs in the cycling scene, and never in the evenings in the urban environment, so to speak,”

He did not deny the existence of doping with the sport or the society, though. “It's about what you want to achieve. If I wanted to dope in the cycling context, I would have found it, and if I wanted to dope to have more fun on the town - if it's possible - I would have certainly found the drugs there, too, of course," he said.