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Armstrong's doping allegation dragging cycling's chain

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-16 14:53

CANBERRA - The continual allegations of doping leveled against seven-time Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong, is dragging the present and future of cycling, Australian former professional racing cyclist Scott McGrory said on Wednesday.

Last year, Tyler Hamilton admitted he had doped as a professional rider. He also alleged to have witnessed Armstrong take performance-enhancing drugs.

Related readings:  Former Olympic champ admits doping, accuses Armstrong  Cycling chiefs deny Armstrong cover-up

The case relates to possible fraud by Armstrong, as authorities suspect he used performance-enhancing drugs while being sponsored by the US Postal Service from 1999-2004.

Earlier, Armstrong has been placed into the headline once again, as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently launched a probe to investigate whether Armstrong and ex-US Postal Service teammate, Hamilton, exchanged words in an Aspen restaurant, in Colorado of the United States.

Whether or not Armstrong had took drugs or not, McGrory said he believes the burning issue now facing the sport is how to clean up its image.

"You don't really want the past to keep getting dug back up," McGrory, a gold medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and track coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport, told Fox Sports Australia on Wednesday.

"But we're trying to move forward, and that's the problem.

"The more things that keep getting dragged up from the past just taints the present and the future.

"But if (Armstrong) did something wrong he needs to account for it."

McGrory expressed concern that much of the good work being done by the sport's governing bodies to clean up cycling will be overshadowed by allegations leveled against Armstrong, the popular cycling figure.

"Cycling certainly has done so much to improve their drug testing procedures and the cleaning up of the sport," McGrory explained.

"They've tightened the net so much that it's very rare that riders can actually do anything illegal at the moment."

"In the case of Armstrong, it's going to be very damaging to the sport."

Armstrong denies any wrongdoing and has passed nearly 500 tests, and McGrory believes the Tour de France legend will be acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Earlier, South Australian Premier Mike Rann said Armstrong remains most welcome at Adelaide's Tour Down Under race, despite the ongoing American federal investigation.