By Duncan Mackay

Pat McQuaid_at_London_2012_August_1_2012September 11 - International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid has said that the world governing body will not appeal against the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) decision to ban seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong for life. 


The controversial decision, including stripping Armstrong of all his results since August 1 1998, a period which includes all of his Tour de France victories. 

The American claimed that only the UCI had the power to take such a decision and last month McQuaid had written to USADA asking them to hand over their evidence to let them investigate.

But McQuaid has now claimed that they will accept USADA's decision if everything is in order.

"The UCI has no reason to assume that a full case file does not exist," McQuaid told Reuters.

"They [USADA] have a full case file so let them provide the full case file.

"And unless the USADA's decision and case file give serious reasons to do otherwise, the UCI has no intention to appeal to CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) or not to recognise the USADA's sanctions on Lance Armstrong.

"We need to examine the decision and the file in order to deal with it properly and this is going to take some time.

"However, I can assure you that this will be prioritised.

"The reason the UCI is seeking the file is that we want to provide a timely response and not delay matters any further than necessary.

"The sooner we receive the full decision and case file the sooner we can provide its response."

Tyler Hamilton_book_coverLance Armstrong's former teammate Tyler Hamilton claims in a new book that the UCI covered up a positive drugs test on the seven-time Tour de France champion in 2001, which Pat McQuaid denies

McQuaid also denied the allegations made by Armstrong's former team mate Tyler Hamilton in his book, "The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups and Winning at All Costs".

Hamilton claims that Armstrong tested positive in 2001 but that it was covered up by the UCI.

"There is nothing new," said McQuaid, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"There was no cover up in 2001 and we see no evidence to support such allegation.

"When people time the arrival of books to meet certain situations I question what their real motivations are."

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