Lance Armstrong's claims about me are false says former UCI president Heine Verbruggen The Dutchman also insisted "there was nothing to cover up" in response to Armstrong's claim that he had told the American to "come up with something" to explain away the 1999 test, something he succeeded in doing by producing a backdated prescription for a cream for saddle sore. Verbruggen said he could not have engineered a cover-up because all anti-doping in France at that time was "handled by the French Ministry and the Ministry had decided that LA's explanation of the presence of cortisone (ointment) was acceptable for them. It was NOT a UCI-decision; there was nothing to cover-up. In a text message to the Dutch television channel NOS, Verbruggen added: "Since when does one believe Lance Armstrong?" Armstrong, who was banned for life last year after finally being exposed, had claimed Verbruggen told him cycling could not afford another scandal after the Festina team's systematic doping was exposed a year earlier. He told the Daily Mail's Matt Lawton: "The real problem was the sport was on life support. And Hein 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."" Verbruggen retired as UCI president in 2005 but he remains a member of the International Olympic Committee, a position he held since 1996 and saw him chair the co-ordination commission for the 2008 Olympics. Were Cookson's investigation to conclude he did help cover up Armstrong's doping, the IOC would come under serious pressure to sanction him. The IOC cast doubt on the credibility of Armstrong's latest claims on Monday night. "It is hard to give any credibility to the claims of a cyclist who appears to have misled the world for decades," it said in a statement. We await proper considered outcomes from this investigation rather than rumour and accusation. The UCI said in a statement: "The UCI's independent commission of inquiry is in the process of being set up and we are in advanced discussions with stakeholders on its terms of reference to allow full investigation of any allegations relating to doping and wrongdoing at the UCI. "The commission will invite individuals to provide evidence and we would urge all those involved to come forward and help the commission in its work in the best interests of the sport of cycling." end