Cycling Australia president Klaus Mueller has called on any Australian cyclist past or present who has been involved in doping to come clean.
In the wake of Cycling Australia (CA) vice-president Stephen Hodge's resignation after he admitted to taking drugs during his professional cycling career, Mueller revealed he was interested in setting up an independent investigation to ensure all those involved with the sport's governing body in Australia have a clean past.
While hopeful there would be no more negative revelations like Hodge and former men's high-performance manager Matt White, Mueller admitted more pain now would be preferred to the saga dragging on.
"If there are such people and it has to come out, the sooner the better," Mueller said.
Mueller revealed his intention to propose to CA's board that they commission an independent investigation to root out any other former or current cheats in their organisation and, hopefully, provide a clean slate to move forward.
"It might be more appropriate to be conducted by somebody independent, somebody outside Cycling Australia, so that it can be absolutely free of bias and that's the way I'm heading at this stage and hopefully the board will head in the same direction," Mueller said.
"We will consult with the Australian Sports Commission to make sure that any process that we have of carrying out that sort of scrutiny is to their satisfaction."
With White's revelations only coming last week, Mueller argued CA had not had time to consider a replacement for his position in the high-performance program but was adamant they would recruit someone without a blemished professional past.
"From a philosophical position, the board would prefer to put on a second or third-rate replacement for Matt White," Mueller said.
"A person who doesn't have all the skills, which comes from being involved with the professional pelaton, rather than take any chance that they are implicated in doping."
