Antón stands up for cycling

Saying cycling is in a state of crisis is putting it mildly - saying that the Spanish peloton's reputation is taking a dive in the aftermath of it is stating the obvious. Samuel Sánchez, Alejandro Valverde, Alberto Contador and Miguel Induráin speaking up for the beleaguered Lance Armstrong has only served to confirm the notion that the Spaniards are at the very rear end of the fight against doping, but Euskaltel's Igor Antón was keen to defend his sport when talking to Grada 360 on Monday.

"In cycling, as in every sport or walk of life, there will be people who take short-cuts", he said. "At all levels, both on an athletic one as well as a social one,  people need to realize this is not the way to go. In cycling there are systems like ADAMS and the biological passport in place, systems aiming to avoid the fraud that damages the image of the whole peloton. We're at the very forefront of the anti-doping fight, and the commitment towards a doping free sport is total".

Speaking on the Lance case, the 29-year-old merely said "it's had a big impact" and that he hopes it will "help improve the image of the sport once and for all". He was not asked directly whether he thought the disgraced Texan was guilty or not, hence the somewhat vague answer, but the wait for a Basque, never mind a Spaniard, to come out against Lance goes on.