LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Lance Armstrong's ballyhooed drug testing programme planned in connection with scientist Don Catlin will now be carried out in partnership with Ramsus Damsgaard, the US cycling icon's camp said Wednesday.

The seven-time Tour de France champion's camp made the announcement from Austin, Texas, after the New York Times, quoting anti-doping expert Catlin, reported the programme had been scrapped.

"After a thorough review of the efficiency of a separate testing program the decision has been made to transfer the comprehensive program we had planned to do with Don Catlin to Ramsus Damsgaard, a renowned anti-doping expert who runs the Astana team's internal testing program," said Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's long-time agent and lawyer.

"We have the utmost respect for Don and all he is doing in the fight against doping in sport but we faced a myriad of problems relating to administration, coordination and cost," Stapleton said.

The news came a day before Armstrong was to meet the press in Sacramento, California, part of the build-up to the Tour of California which starts on Saturday.

The Tour of California will see Armstrong continue his comeback from a three-and-a-half year hiatus from the sport.

In January he came in a respectable 29th overall, 49secs behind the winner Allan Davis of Quick Step in the Tour Down Under in Australia.

In making his comeback Armstrong, who has been dogged by unproven doping allegations in his career, said he planned implement "the most comprehensive anti-doping plan in the history of sport" and would make the results of the tests available to the public.

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the plan had been abandoned.

"In the real world, when you try to implement a program as grandiose as what you had in mind, it just becomes so complicated that it?s better not to try," Catlin said. "We?re all disappointed, but it?s just not going to be possible."

But Stapleton said Armstrong was still committed to a strict anti-doping programme with accessible results.

To that end the results of seven blood tests dating back to October had been posted on Armstrong's livestrong.com website.

Stapleton noted that Armstrong will still be subject to testing by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the cyclist has asked USADA and WADA to release their results so they can be posted as well.

"We will continue to do everything we can do to ensure transparency and honesty in his testing results," Stapleton said.