Lance Armstrong: Bradley Wiggins shocked by Usada report

Lance Armstrong and Bradley Wiggins

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins says he is shocked at the scale of the evidence against disgraced former champion Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong was described by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) as "a serial drugs cheat" and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

"It's pretty damning stuff. It is jaw-dropping the amount of people who have testified against him," said Wiggins.

"It's not a one-sided hatchet job. I'm shocked at the scale of the evidence."

Wiggins, who became the first Briton to win the Tour de France in July, also said the sport must now look to the future.

Asked by Sky Sports if it is frustrating answering questions about drugs cheats, he replied: "It always is. It is not something which sits easily. Everyone knows where we stand on that, it is about looking forward.

"I don't think that is relevant to what we are doing today. We are setting the example for our sport and we are one of the most successful sports for catching cheats."

Britain's six-time Olympic track champion Sir Chris Hoy also said he was shocked at the contents of the Usada report, and told BBC Sport it was a "depressing day for cycling".

He added: "It's frustrating and sad but at least we're naming and shaming people and it doesn't matter how big the names are, we're not afraid to do everything we can to prosecute them.

"In that era, there were a lot of people testing positive. The guys who were coming second and third behind Lance were testing positive so there was an element of suspicion surrounding him, but I always try and give people the benefit of the doubt."

Usada claimed that Armstrong orchestrated "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen", although the American denies the allegations.

World Anti-Doping Agency head David Howman believes Usada's report draws a line under the Armstrong era but says cycling's governing body, the UCI, still has work to do.

"I think it is the end of the saga that has hung around for a number of years," he said. "But in terms of the overall situation which has been a battle in the media I think it is finished - I think it is over.

"I don't think the process to clean up cycling has been completed, even though the UCI has done a lot in recent years to head in that direction.

"There are a lot of current athletes who want the sport to be clean and you have to rely on athletes because they are putting in the performances.

"If they have to be part of a culture where the only way they can put a performance is by cheating, then that culture has to change."

BBC Radio 5 live Sport will look at the Lance Armstrong saga in a special programme on Monday at 19:00 BST. "Peddlers: Cycling's Dirty Truth" includes interviews with Armstrong's former team-mate Tyler Hamilton, former Wada head Dick Pound, and British cyclist David Millar who was banned for two years after admitting taking performance enhancing drugs.