Floyd Landis has hit back at organisers of the UCI Road World Championships in Geelong, Australia after they withdrew their official endorsement of a conference at which he was due to speak.

The disgraced rider is scheduled to address  the New Pathways for Professional Cycling conference which takes place at the Deakin University in Geelong on September 27 – 28 on the eve of the worlds event.

A spokesman for the championship committee told Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper: “Providing Floyd Landis with a soapbox to deliver a tirade like he did on the eve of the Tour of California is not something the world championship organisers want. The official imprimatur of the organising committee has been withdrawn.”

Landis subsequently vented his fury on the New Pathways conference website accusing the organisers of the championship of “total disregard of the sport’s long-term interests, including those of the riders and fans, which they are charged to protect.”

"By offering an inside perspective of an athlete confronted with decisions regarding the use of banned performance enhancing drugs, I hope to be able to contribute to a better understanding of how those decisions come to be made, and how athletes can be better supported by those in a position to facilitate better decisions and decision making," he said.

Landis stated that he was not going to Geelong to reiterate claims he has publicly made about Lance Armstrong’s alleged doping activities. "I will not and cannot discuss events or circumstances related to the ongoing investigations and lawsuits involving Lance Armstrong and certain of his current and former business associates and teammates, including what I saw and heard during the relevant time periods,"
 

The World Championships will take place from September 29 to October 3.