In his recent interview with the BBC, Lance Armstrong has criticised Brian Cookson, the president of the UCI, cycling’s governing body.

"If McQuaid had made the same decisions Cookson has made in his first year, he would have been lynched," Armstrong said in the interview.

Armstrong, who has been banned for life by the UCI for extensive use of doping to win 7 Tour de France titles, says everyone should be forced to talk to the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) like he was, after Alexandre Vinokourov refused to do so in the wake of the recent Astana cases.

"If I'm Brian Cookson, I would make it a deal point that you have to come in and talk," Armstrong said. "So if Riis doesn't talk to you, or Vinokourov doesn't, there should be consequences. I don't know those to be examples, but I can imagine. If you don't come in to talk, you don't just get passed."

Armstrong has apologized for the amount of questions that Chris Froome and Vincenzo Nibali have ad to face from journalists on doping and says it is his fault.

"I'm sorry, and I completely agree that because of the timing of things, it is down to me," Armstrong said.  "[USADA's reasoned decision] comes out after the Tour in 2012, so it's logical that in 2013 there's going to be a lot of questions. Especially in a year when Chris Froome performs exceptionally.”

"Look, Froome won the Tour in 2013, that's 14 years after 1999. If in 1999 I was asked questions about the 1985 winner of the Tour de France, I'd be like 'What are you talking about? Why are you asking me about the mid-80s?"

"So I feel bad for those guys, they shouldn't have been put in that position. I'm not sure why they were put in a position to answer 15-year-old questions, but it's unfortunate for all of us, especially for them."