Armstrong tells drugs critics to back off

“It’s not just cycling it’s all Sports. It’s a sporting problem,” he said.

“I’m really getting tired of having to defend my sport I don’t think the problems is as widespread as it’s made out to be.

“In the end we will prove cycling to be one of the cleanest sports,” said the remarkable US cyclist who was diagnosed with cancer after the Atlanta Olympics, but has since weathered surgery and chemotherapy and defeat the disease and come back to win the Tour de France in 1999 and 2000.

Drug-sampling in cycling has been drastically stepped up since the 1998 Tour de France was nearly brought to a halt over doping.

“The problem was overblown and I think cycling has done more than any other sport to clean its sport,” Armstrong said.

“I think all the riders share this belief. They’re sick of criticism.”

He welcomed drug testing as a means to validate performances. “At present, if you have a good ride people say you’re doped. If you don’t have a good ride they say you used to be doped. For us testing is a relief.

“I hope that when the Games are over people will look to the performances as athletes’ performances and not artificial ones.

Armstrong’s place in the Olympic Games road race and road time-trial had been in doubt after he fractured a neck vertebra when hit by a car during a training ride three weeks ago.

But he declared himself fit after a time trial in France last weekend to assess his fitness, where he whipped a class field including French rivals Christophe Moreau and Laurent Jalabert as well as British hopes David Millar and Chris Boardman.

“The neck is still a slight problem, still stiff, but well enough to ride. I’d put my condition at close to 100 percent,” said Armstrong as he placed the mantle of time trial favourite on German rival Ullrich.

“Jan is in everyone’s mind and in my mind a big favourite, but I don’t know if the course suits him perfectly with all the turns and changes of pace.”