UCI President Pat McQuaid tried to defend the UCI's record on doping (Image credit: AFP)

With uncertainly over Cycling Ireland’s willingness to back Pat McQuaid ahead of this year’s election for a UCI Presidency, the Swiss Federation has come the Irishman’s aid. McQuaid needs a national federation to back his candidacy and with the Irish board members wavering McQuaid has had to take the embarrassing step of relying on the Swiss to endorse his bid. Typically a candidate is backed by his own national federation.





The EGM is scheduled for next month and McQuaid qualifies for Swiss backing, having moved to the country in 2005.

McQuaid has been under sustained pressure since the USADA report that investigated doping at the US Postal team. The UCI's backtracking over the jurisdiction was coupled with allegations of corruption and cover ups. The UCI denied any wrong doing but USADA’s Travis Tygart told the Associated Press in April that Lance Armtsrong, the central figure in the USADA report, “led us to believe -- during the course of our interaction with him -- that he had evidence of their complicity in this situation.”