Hein Verbruggen has dismissed UCI President Brian Cookson's call for him to resign his title of honorary president in a long letter to members of the UCI's Management Committee and said that he is "proud" of the legal action he took against Floyd Landis, Paul Kimmage and others who have spoken on the issue of doping in cycling.
Following the publication of the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report last month, which highlighted "numerous examples that prove Lance Armstrong benefited from a preferential status" during Verbruggen's time at the head of the UCI, Cookson wrote to Verbruggen to ask him to step down from his role as honorary president.
In a 3,350-word letter to the UCI Management Committee, however, published in full by Belgian newspaper De Morgen on Monday, Verbruggen questioned the validity of the CIRC report and rejected the appeal for his resignation.
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Verbruggen complained about what he termed Cookson's "Honorary President-obsession" and lamented that communication with the Briton – with the exception of a letter dated March 17 – "has never been direct, only through his preferred channel, the media.
"I have the strong impression that both Messrs. Cookson and [UCI director general Martin] Gibbs […] seem to believe that the whole CIRC-saga is over following the publication of the report and the delivery of the much sought after "evidence" that allows them to take away my honorary title," Verbruggen wrote. "Dear Friends and Management Committee Members, it is definitely not going to be that easy.
"Mr.Cookson is in for a surprise if he thinks that I will accept this scandalously biased CIRC-report and the same goes for taking away my honorary title. Indeed, the last word about the CIRC-report has not yet been written. I would like to make you aware that I am having the report analysed by Swiss lawyers."
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