Tour organisers slam governing body

Cycling: The organisers of the Tour de France have criticised cycling's world governing body over doping controls, describing…

Cycling:The organisers of the Tour de France have criticised cycling's world governing body over doping controls, describing the UCI as "incompetent".

Patrice Clerc, president of Tour organisers ASO, and Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France, held a press conference at the start of the penultimate stage of this year's event in Cognac where they pledged to lead the battle to rid the sport of drugs.

The 2007 Tour has been tainted by doping, with four positive tests including for Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov, the pre-race favourite, and Italy's Cristian Moreni.

Vinokourov and Moreni's teams, Astana and Cofidis respectively, also withdrew after the Kazakh rider tested positive for blood doping and the Italian for elevated levels of testosterone.

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Clerc said: "The UCI cannot control the rebuilding of a new model for cycling so we have decided to lead the reconstruction with those who share our values.

"The UCI has demonstrated that, in the best case, it is incompetent and, in the worst case, it will harm the Tour de France. The result is a calculated, Machiavellian and irresponsible approach. When an organisation behaves this way towards another, the only option is resignation."

However, Clerc stopped short of severing ties with the UCI, instead proposing a revolution with all riders required to have an "ethical passport" to take part in future Tours.

He said: "We will host a meeting this coming October at the time of the presentation of the 2008 Tour de France, when we will detail the result of the work which will be undertaken.

"Our plan is to create an ethical passport which will be an essential precondition to be able to take part in our races. We do not want to exonerate ourselves from cycling's governing body but we want the controlling power to be virtuous, responsible and independent.

Clerc added he hopes the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will support the Tour's bid to rid cycling, and sport, of drugs.

"We want the fight against doping to be intensified but it's not up to the Tour de France to regulate the problems of doping," added Clerc.

"WADA is the organisation that has the competence to lead this fight in sport and not just cycling."