Cycling: Pat McQuaid goes on the attack

Pat McQuaid has derided the election manifesto of his challenger for the presidency of cycling's world governing body the UCI, describing Brian Cookson's pledges as "half-baked, fundamentally flawed and financially impractical".

Cookson, president of British Cycling and the only candidate to challenge McQuaid ahead of September's election, launched his campaign for the leadership of the UCI in Paris on Monday.

Among the pledges in Cookson's manifesto was a promise to establish an independent anti-doping unit. McQuaid said: "Just telling people what they want to hear is easy. He [Cookson] needs to explain how he is going to make it happen."

Neither Cookson nor British Cycling was available for comment.