"You are the epitome of the word corruption" alleges former Tour winner
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Three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond could do without the UCI(Image credit: AFP)
Greg and Kathy LeMond in 2007(Image credit: AFP)
It's 1984 and Greg Lemond is leading Italian Marino Amadori(Image credit: Sirotti)
The 1989 Tour de France podium (l-r): Laurent Fignon, Greg LeMond and Pedro Delgado.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond on the final podium in Paris at the 1989 Tour de France.(Image credit: AFP)
In a brash letter addressed to Pat McQuaid, former Tour de France winner Greg LeMond has demanded the UCI President resign from his position. LeMond posted a copy of the letter on his personal Facebook page and is frank in offering his opinion on the state of the UCI, McQuaid and honorary UCI president Hein Verbruggen. LeMond's actions come in the wake of USADA's report into widespread doping by Lance Armstrong and his teammates at US Postal.
"I want to tell the world of cycling to please join me in telling Pat McQuaid to f##k off and resign," LeMond wrote. "I have never seen such an abuse of power in cycling's history - resign Pat if you love cycling. Resign even if you hate the sport."
The UCI confirmed the lifetime ban of Lance Armstrong and stripped him of his seven Tour de France wins earlier this week however, LeMond states McQuaid knew "damn well what has been going on in cycling, and if you want to deny it, then even more reasons why those who love cycling need to demand that you resign."
LeMond does not blame the UCI as an entity but rather the influence of McQuaid and Verbruggen at the sport's governing body. The American states the main concern in cycling in not doping but rather corruption.
"The problem for sport is not drugs but corruption. You are the epitome of the word corruption," LeMond writes.
"Pat in my opinion you and Hein are the corrupt part of the sport. I do not want to include everyone at the UCI because I believe that there are many, maybe most that work at the UCI that are dedicated to cycling, they do it out of the love of the sport, but you and your buddy Hein have destroyed the sport."
Pat McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen have strenuously denied allegations of corruption and they recently won a defamation case against Floyd Landis in a Swiss court. They launched the action against Landis in April 2011, after he alleged that the governing body had colluded in covering up a positive test by Lance Armstrong at the 2001 Tour de Suisse. Landis did not present himself before the court, but he has been ordered to pay McQuaid and Verbruggen the sum of 10,000 Swiss Francs each, and has been ordered to take out advertisements at his own expense publishing the verdict.
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McQuaid, Verbruggen and the UCI have instigated similar proceedings against the journalist and former rider Paul Kimmage, and McQuaid denied on Monday that his was a personal issue with the Irishman. LeMond calls for "anyone that loves cycling" to support Kimmage in his defamation case.
"I would encourage anyone that loves cycling to donate and support Paul in his fight against the Pat and Hein and the UCI."
"Don't buy a USA Cycling license. Give up racing for a year, just long enough to put the UCI and USA cycling out of business. We can then start from scratch and let the real lovers in cycling direct where and how the sport of cycling will go."
