Lance Armstrong claimed yesterday that many sporting authorities were powerless to prevent doping in the 1990s.

The disgraced former Tour de France champion said that bodies charged with running cycling and other endurance sports were fighting a losing battle against drug cheats because they did not have the “tools” to keep up with them.

The Texan cyclist, who admitted to systematic doping in an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey in January, was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.