Lance Armstrong has claimed on an interview with the Daily Mail that Hein Verbruggen, former UCI President, not only knew about the American's doping offenses, but also encouraged him to cover it up.

One of the key personnel in the whole Armstrong scandal, former US Postal soigner Emma O'Reilly, is also included in the interview, who met with Armstrong for the first time in 13 years.

The doping offense Armstrong mentioned, was a positive test for cortisone in the 1999 Tour de France. O'Reilly had witnessed US Postal team provide the UCI with a backdated prescription for a saddle sore, and that prescription is the specific event that Armstrong alleges Verbruggen aided in covering up.

Armstrong claimed, when the whole sport was in serious trouble, the team had to do something, "But the real problem was, the sport was on life support. And Hein [Verbruggen] just said, 'This is a real problem for me, this is the knockout punch for our sport, the year after Festina, so we've got to come up with something.' So we backdated the prescription."

Armstrong surely is furious about the Verbruggen, and UCI as a whole, "To think I am protecting any of these guys after the way they treated me, that is ludicrous." Armstrong added.

Verbruggen haven't admitted his wrongdoing though, at least till now. Earlier this month, he said in a letter to national cycling federations, "I have never acted inappropriately and my conscience is absolutely clean. With the benefit of hindsight, however, I admit that I could have done some things differently, but I do not accept that my integrity is in doubt."

Verbruggen declined to comment to the Daily Mail on the allegations made by Armstrong.