Cycling ‘cleanest’ sport around, says Cavendish

Cycling’s reputation has been blighted by a number of doping scandals over the last 15 years in particular, with numerous stars either being accused or being found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs.

Alexander Vinokourov and Floyd Landis are two of the most recent high-profile riders to have been found guilty of doping offences, with the latter being stripped of his 2006 Tour de France win after failing a test for synthetic testosterone. But Cavendish insists that all drug cheats must be dealt with in the hardest possible way, but claims that the sport has been unfairly singled out for criticism.

“It’s an ignorant thought to just put cycling with doping,” Cavendish said. “There are cheats in every aspect of life, in every sport, every nation.

“There will always be cheats. If you put the time, the money and effort in to catching them then you will do it.

“People think just because people get caught that the whole sport is cheating. It’s not. It’s the stupid people who are cheating.”