UCI report on doping, Armstrong due within months

PONFERRADA, Spain (AP) The International Cycling Union says an independent panel investigating the sport's doping history should report early next year.

Lance Armstrong met in May with the three-man group which is studying how doping happened from 1998-2013, and if previous UCI leadership helped the American rider's teams avoid scrutiny.

The UCI's management committee got a progress report on Thursday from the Cycling Independent Reform Commission panel.

The UCI also wants to create an independent anti-doping tribunal to handle cases of international riders.

The tribunal would take control of cases from national federations, which are often criticized for giving favorable decisions to star cyclists.

The UCI wants ''consistency and uniform quality'' in verdicts, quicker cases and fewer appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The tribunal should start operating in 2015, the UCI says.