Patrick Lefévère, the manager of the Quick Step cycling team, launched a passionate defense of his squad on Friday after it was made the target of doping accusations by a Belgian newspaper.

Lefévère said he would seek damages against the daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, which made the allegations, and which quoted an anonymous rider as saying that a doping culture was allowed to flourish because the team had an informant at the UCI who tipped them off when tests were to be carried out.

"The riders don't just take doping products (EPO, growth hormones), but also drugs like ecstasy, cocaine and speed," claimed the mystery rider.

The same rider charged that Lefévère, who has been among the biggest advocates of new anti-doping measures in the troubled sport, "financially profits from a system which he knows plenty about."

"It is all nonsense," retorted Lefévère, adding that he will seek "enormous" damages. "I am dealing with enemies who do not show themselves. But I have never escaped my responsibilities."

Lefévère's lawyer, Chris Declerck, confirmed that legal action would be taken against the newspaper, its editor and the reporter who wrote the story. He refused to put a figure on the amount of damages that would be sought.

Meanwhile, UCI president Pat McQuaid angrily denied that there was an informer in his organization.

"It is absolutely false, absolutely unacceptable," he told AFP. "I have faith in all the UCI employees, the system is absolutely tight. If people have proof, they must present it."