Giro chief says race is balanced and welcomes Wiggins

The 2013 Giro d'Italia route, according to its operations director, Mauro Vegni, favours more than just time trial-strong men like Bradley Wiggins (Sky).

"Those who thing that the Giro d'Italia route was designed for time trialists are mistaken, partly because when you design a Giro you do it to be open to everyone and not favoured one type of rider or another," Vegni said, according to Italy's Ultimo Chilometro radio programme.

"The difference in kilometres is not huge compared to 2012. The difference is that there's a long time trial, which is not a dead-flat stage due to climbs at the start and in the last kilometres. So, the specialists won't put huge gaps into the non-specialists. Plus, the summit finishes in the rest of race should create balance.

"Wiggins at the Giro? I'm happy he wants to participate in the Corsa Rosa. His words indicate that we've done the right work in recent years and put the Giro on par with the other important, international events."

Livestrong drops Armstrong's name

Lance Armstrong's name has been officially removed from the cancer foundation he began 15 years ago. According the Reuters news agencies, representatives filed paperwork to change its name from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to the Livestrong Foundation.

Foundation representative Katherine McLane said, "For most of its life, the organisation has been known as the Livestrong Foundation, but making that change official is necessary and appropriate during a time of change for the organisation."

The name change became effective October 30. Armstrong stepped down as the foundation's chairman last month and on Monday, new chairman Jeff Garvey said that Armstrong also no longer a board member. He told the Bloomberg news agency that it was "to spare the organisation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding his cycling career."

The Union Cycliste International (UCI) on October 22 ruled in favour of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), stripping him of his seven Tour wins for doping.

Walsh to release new Armstrong book, Seven Deadly Sins

The Sunday Times journalist David Walsh wrote a new book on the heels of the Armstrong case, Seven Deadly Sins. Publisher Simon & Schuster UK will release the book on December 13.

"This has been the story of my working life, 13 years of striving to show the sports world that what I believed to be true was true," Walsh told The Bookseller. "Most of the time, I believed Armstrong would get away with it, but in the end the failings in his character that made him cheat and lie and bully caught up with him. His seven stripped Tour de France titles are now recalled in the words of Travis Tygart, head of USADA, as 'The greatest heist in the history of sport.'"

Walsh also wrote From Lance to Landis and LA Confidential, both highlighting Armstrong's darker side. The Texan sued The Sunday Times when it published extracts from LA confidential, co-written with Pierre Ballester. The newspaper is now working to recoup the reported £1m it paid in an out-of-court settlement.

Commission recommends upping women's more prize money

The UCI Athletes' Commission recommended after meetings this week that women's races should enjoy the same prize money as men's races.

It also said, "The members of the commission want to encourage UCI WorldTour teams to invest in women's squads and the organisers of men's events to also offer races for women, in this way making the women's calendar more global."

The commission - which included Sky's Bernhard Eisel, cyclo-cross star Sven Nys and World Champ Marianne Vos - met for three days in Aigle, Switzerland. It made a number of proposals besides the ones concerning women's racing. The UCI already said that it plans to balance the prize money awarded for men and women at the World Championships.