UCI president Brian Cookson has explained the new doping reforms to Cycling Weekly while on a trip to Berlin.

“You have to make sure that when you take disciplinary action you do it in a way that is legally defensible. It’s not about the money or the legal fees – I’ll throw money at the problem like that – it’s about what happens when the appeal is lodged.”

“It’s about when that [appeal] goes to CAS and making sure that you win to set a precedent, not lose and set a negative precedent. We’ve got to do it in the right way, by taking legal advice, and that’s what we are doing.”

He said this when asked about the Astana case, where he said the commission who awarded Astana a license had to do so only on the evidence they had, rather than past misdemeanors.

Once the information from the Padova case emerged, many riders took to Twitter to announce their disappointment at the cheats who are trying to ruin the sport. Cookson says he appreciates their input but he wants their patience and understanding.

“I respect the riders’ points of view and I wish more riders would speak out because I welcome that,” he said. “I’m sure the riders understand that we have to impose the rules by following the rules, not by breaking them. I ask for patience and their understanding. We are pursuing these things but we have to do it in the right way and the story is far from over.”

He added: “This is not just a matter for governing bodies, it’s for everyone in the sport – the teams, the sponsors and riders all have responsibility and I’m asking them all to work with us and grow our sport.”

He has a chilling message for the cheats and for anyone else who is tempted to cheat. And he is confident that slowly but surely, cycling is becoming cleaner and more credible.

“We are doing a lot more to protect clean athletes and enforce the new era in our sport. I don’t delude myself – I know there will always be people who want to cheat, but we are tightening the net and we will continue to do that. The fact that we keep catching people shows that the system is working.”