Brian Cookson

Lance Armstrong’s plan to ride this year’s Tour de France route for charity has been branded “disrespectful” by the head of cycling’s governing body Brian Cookson.

The disgraced American, stripped of his seven Tour titles because of blood doping, has been invited by fellow cancer survivor and former English soccer player Geoff Thomas to ride the route to raise money for a leukaemia charity.

“I understand that he’s been approached by Geoff Thomas to take part in a charity event and I’m sure that Geoff means well,” UCI chief Cookson said.

“Bringing Lance Armstrong to ride on some or all of the route one day before the race, I can’t think of better words than disrespectful and inappropriate to the Tour de France and the UCI.

“The charity justification was used quite a lot throughout his career and that got us into all sorts of a mess which is well documented. It looks like Lance was persuaded into it and if he was it’s not a good judgement.”

However, Cookson said he was powerless to stop Armstrong going ahead with the charity ride.

“I have no authority,” he said.

“He can cycle around France as long as he wants, there’s nothing the UCI can do about that.”

Asked whether he had any sympathy for Armstrong, Cookson was unequivocal.

“He has been singled out but then there aren’t many who have won the Tour seven times by cheating, so he was an exceptional case,” Cookson said.