Landis tests Positive?

[tasst]

Landis gives positive drugs test
Floyd Landis
Landis finished ahead of Oscar Pereiro to win the Tour de France
Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has given a positive drugs test, according to his Phonak team.

The 30-year-old American, who claimed victory in the Tour de France on Sunday, has tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone.

The positive test came after stage 17 of the Tour, which saw Landis record an epic victory after struggling on the final climb the day before.

Landis has been suspended pending results of his B sample analysis.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Wednesday that a rider had failed a doping test but would not reveal his name.


The rider will not race anymore until this problem is totally clear

Phonak statement

"The Phonak Cycling Team was notified on Wednesday by the UCI of an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone ratio in the test made on Floyd Landis after stage 17 of the Tour de France," said a team statement.

"The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result.

"The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis (B sample) to prove either that this result has come from a natural process or that this is the result of a mistake."

Phonak have also said that if the second sample confirms the positive test, Landis will be sacked.

"In application of the Pro Tour Ethical Code, the rider will not race anymore until this problem is totally clear," the statement added.


LANDIS FACTFILE
1975, October: Born Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
1990: Buys first mountain bike
1992: Junior National Mountain Bike champion
1993: US National Mountain Bike champion
1995: Moves to California
1998: Switches to road racing
1999: Joins Mercury pro team
2000: Wins Tour du Poitou-Charentes
2002: Joins US Postal, races in first Tour de France
2003, Jan: Breaks hip in crash
2003, July: Helps Armstrong win fourth Tour de France
2004: Wins Tour d'Algarve
2005: Joins Phonak, finishes ninth in Tour de France
Mar 2006: Wins Paris-Nice
Jul 2006: Wins first Tour de France

"If the result of the B sample analysis confirms the result of the A sample, the rider will be dismissed and will then pass the corresponding endocrinological examinations."

Landis had already withdrawn from two races in Europe this week, Wednesday's Acht van Chaam street race in the Netherlands and Thursday's Jyske Bank Grand Prix in Denmark.

"Today, Phonak confirmed the cancellation. They could not say anything about why Landis has disappeared," said Jyske Bank Grand Prix spokesman Nils Finderup.

"We have tried to call him, to call his agent, and to call the head of the Phonak team, but no one has answered."

Organisers of the Acht van Chaam event were also angry at Landis' no-show.

"We have tried to contact Floyd and his manager but we have not been able to," said race agent John van den Akker.

"We are very annoyed. We have invested a lot of money to ensure his appearance and we would have expected some kind of explanation."

Landis finished 57 seconds ahead of Spain's Oscar Pereiro in the general classification to claim his first Tour de France title last weekend.

[IRiSHMaFIA]

I really hate hearing about cheating athletes like this. The majority of them spend their lives conditioning themselves and compete fairly, then you get some arses that want the win so badly they'll do anything to get it, even if it means the possibility of being caught out and ruining their career and reputation.

I hope you post the update to the story as I'll be looking forward to seeing the results of the tests.

[faceless]

Cycling has been rife with drug-use for years

[HandoGod]

Yo,

Was gonna post this myself when I saw it on BBC News 24.

I can't believe it!

How stupid are some people to take drugs in the first place, then disgrace themselves by cheeting.

[tasst]

Anything I see on the topic I will post.

[tasst]

Tour stunned as Landis fails test
Floyd Landis
Landis could be stripped of his title if his positive test is confirmed
Tour de France chiefs say they will be angry and sad if 2006 winner Floyd Landis' failed drugs test is confirmed.

Landis' Phonak team revealed that the American had tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone.

As well as a two-year ban, Landis faces being stripped of his victory if his B sample confirms the positive result.

"If the result is confirmed, anger and sadness would be the dominant feelings for those thrilled by the 2006 race," said the organisers in a statement.

|The 30-year-old Landis tested positive after his sensational win in the 17th stage, which he won by powering away on a 130km solo breakaway.


If the counter-analysis confirms the positive he must be punished

Phonak director Juan Fernandez

The failed test follows the withdrawal of pre-race favourites Jan Ullrich of Germany and Italian Ivan Basso immediately before the start of the Tour after they were linked to a Spanish doping investigation.

"Now more than ever the organisers will maintain the firm attitude they have displayed since the start from Strasbourg," added the statement.

"No matter how harrowing this news is for cycling, it nevertheless illustrates that the fight against doping by the Tour de France together with the teams and the sponsors is gaining ground in an irreversible way."

If Landis is stripped of his title, 2006 Tour runner-up Oscar Pereiro is expected to be declared the winner.
Oscar Pereiro (R) and Floyd Landis shake hands near the Tour de France finish
Pereiro (R) is not celebrating Landis' positive test

"Until the UCI confirm it, it isn't possible to say anything, despite what Phonak have said," he said.

"In any case, I have a bittersweet feeling because it is bad news for cycling, and I would prefer to remain second and that they don't confirm the positive.

"Should I win the Tour now it would feel like an academic victory. The way to celebrate a win is in Paris, otherwise it's just a bureaucratic win."

Triple Tour de France winner Greg LeMond expressed anger upon hearing the news of Landis' test.

"I'm devastated and extremely disappointed," he said. "I can't imagine the disappointment for Floyd and his family.

"The problem is the sport is corrupt and it corrupts everybody. I still believe it was one of the cleanest Tours ever. But is it 100% clean? No.

"You will always find riders who transgress the laws. I really did believe Floyd was not among them, that he was clean. Hopefully, he will be able to tell the truth."

Phonak have suspended Landis pending the results of tests on the B sample and the team say they will sack the 30-year-old if the positive test is confirmed.

"We will have to wait for the counter-analysis and see if this gives a positive as well," Phonak director Juan Fernandez told Spanish radio.
Phonak director Juan Fernandez
Fernandez will take a hard line with Landis if the test is confirmed

"It is very bad news. It is very sad. These types of things are really bad but if they happen we have to face up to them.

"If a rider does something wrong or bad he has to be dealt with.

"If the counter-analysis (B sample) confirms the positive he must be punished. He will need to be expelled as has happened in other cases."

USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee refused to condemn Landis, saying that he would wait for the B sample results.

"Because it's an anti-doping matter we can't really comment on it," he said.

"Out of respect for both the process put in place and the rights of Floyd as an athlete we need to let the process run its course before we can make any type of comment."

Meanwhile German television station ZDF said it might now cease broadcasting the Tour de France.

"We signed a broadcasting contract for a sporting event, not a show demonstrating the performances of the pharmaceutical industry," said editor-in-chief Nikolaus Brender.

"We are going to think about our future as broadcaster and maybe refuse to broadcast this event."

This the latest I've found todate.

[eefanincan]

Funny, just now as I was reading this thread, they are showing a report about this on our news. Seems Landis is claiming he's innocent and he doesn't know why he tested positive. I guess we might never know.

I agree with Face though....this sport has had a lot of problems with positive drug tests recently.... but then, is it any different than any other sport? Who knows. I just want athletes to be athletes and either succeed or fail based on their training and hard work and not chemical substances. Is that too much to ask?

[IRiSHMaFIA]

[tasst]

Here's thelastest on this topic.
Pressure mounts for Landis B test
Floyd Landis
Landis protested his innocence at a news conference on Friday
Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has officially requested the testing of his back-up urine sample in an effort to clear his name of doping allegations.

The American's request came hours after the International Cycling Union, the sport's governing body, had given the go-ahead for the B sample to be tested.

Landis is facing the loss of his title and a two-year ban after a positive test for unusual testosterone levels.

He has rejected the results, saying he has naturally high testosterone levels.

News conference: Floyd Landis

The UCI asked the laboratory Chatenay-Malabry to go ahead and test the B sample on Monday, claiming that Landis had yet to do so.


Floyd did request the B sample test well within the five-day limit required

Michael Henson
Spokesman for Floyd Landis
"We have done this so the whole thing can be speeded up," a UCI spokesperson said.

"We took this decision because of the importance of the case. Also the longer it goes on the more damage the sport risks suffering."

But Michael Henson, a spokesman for Landis based in New York, insisted that the cyclist himself had asked on Monday for the B sample to be tested.

"Floyd did request the B sample test. He faxed a request to his lawyers in Spain at 1245 (1745 BST), which is well within the five-day limit required of the athlete," said Henson.

The laboratory is likely to test the sample between Thursday and Saturday morning.

If the UCI had not asked for the test, and Landis had waited till Wednesday to appeal for the B sample to be tested, the result would not be known for several weeks as the laboratory shuts for the holidays at the end of the week.

The 30-year-old Landis tested positive after winning stage 17 of the race.

Floyd Landis celebrates his victory on the final stage
Landis faces a fight to keep his yellow jersey and clear his name
Speaking at a news conference in Madrid last week, he said the testosterone was "absolutely natural and produced by my own organism" and would agree to undergo tests to prove his case.

Landis also said he expected the second sample to return a similar result to the first but insisted that he is innocent.

"We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case but a natural occurrence," he said.

"I would like to (make it) absolutely clear that I'm not in any doping process. In this particular case, nobody can talk about doping."

The Phonak rider produced one of the most memorable displays in Tour history when he stormed to victory in Morzine by almost six minutes.

The win put him back into contention for the yellow jersey a day after his chances looked to have evaporated when he cracked on the final climb of stage 16.

[IRiSHMaFIA]

Proof positive

2nd test matches first; Tour shuns Landis as champ

PARIS (AP) -- Floyd Landis was fired by his team and the Tour de France no longer considered him its champion Saturday after his second doping sample tested positive for higher-than-allowable levels of testosterone.

The samples contained synthetic testosterone, indicating that it came from an outside source.

"I have received a text message from Chatenay-Malabry lab that indicates the 'B' sample of Floyd Landis' urine confirms testosterone was taken in an exogenous way," Pierre Bordry, who heads the French anti-doping council, told The Associated Press shortly after the "B" sample results were released.

Lab head Jacques De Ceaurriz said the isotope testing procedure was "foolproof."

"No error is possible in isotopic readings," he told the AP.

Landis had claimed the testosterone was "natural and produced by my own organism," and once again maintained his innocence.

"I have never taken any banned substance, including testosterone," he said in a statement. "I was the strongest man at the Tour de France, and that is why I am the champion.

"I will fight these charges with the same determination and intensity that I bring to my training and racing. It is now my goal to clear my name and restore what I worked so hard to achieve."

The Swiss-based team Phonak immediately severed ties with Landis, and the UCI said it would ask USA Cycling to open disciplinary proceedings against him.

"Landis will be dismissed without notice for violating the team's internal Code of Ethics," Phonak said in a statement. "Landis will continue to have legal options to contest the findings. However, this will be his personal affair, and the Phonak team will no longer be involved in that."

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said Landis no longer was considered champion, but the decision to strip him of his title rests with the International Cycling Union.

"It goes without saying that for us Floyd Landis is no longer the winner of the 2006 Tour de France," Prudhomme told the AP in a telephone interview. "Our determination is even stronger now to fight against doping and to defend this magnificent sport."

Prudhomme said runner-up Oscar Pereiro would likely be the new winner.

"We can't imagine a different outcome," Prudhomme said.

Reached in his hometown of Vigo, Spain, Pereiro saw it that way, too.

"Now I consider myself the winner," he said, while acknowledging that the final decision was up to the UCI and subject to a legal challenge by Landis.

Pereiro said that he regretted not having been able to celebrate a win properly -- in Paris, wearing the winner's yellow jersey, having his photograph taken on the podium.

"I would have liked to have lived that day, it would have been the best day of my life, as a sportsman," he said.

Pereiro added that he felt badly for Landis.

"I consider him my friend, it surprised me and hurt me to hear what had happened to him," he said. "I trust Floyd, but the analysis shows he may have broken a rule. He failed an anti-doping test. If you fail the norms set, then you have to be withdrawn."

If stripped of the title, Landis would become the first winner in the 103-year history of cycling's premier race to lose his Tour crown over doping allegations.

UCI lawyer Philippe Verbiest said Landis would officially remain Tour champion pending the U.S. disciplinary process, which involves a series of steps:

Documentation from the positive tests will be forwarded to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which gives the evidence to a review panel. The panel will make a recommendation to USADA, which would decide if a penalty -- likely a two-year ban -- is appropriate. That decision is forwarded to USA Cycling, the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency. Landis can accept the decision or begin an appeals process, which can take up to six months.

"Until he is found guilty or admits guilt, he will keep the yellow jersey," he said. "This is normal. You are not sanctioned before you are found guilty."

The results of the second test come nearly two weeks after he stood atop the winner's podium on the Champs-Elysees in the champion's yellow jersey.

Testosterone, a male sex hormone, helps build muscle and improve stamina. The urine tests were done July 20 after Landis' Stage 17 victory during a grueling Alpine leg, when he regained nearly eight minutes against then-leader Pereiro -- and went on to win the three-week race.

The tests turned up a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio of 11:1 -- far in excess of the 4:1 limit.

"It's incredibly disappointing," three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond said by phone from the starting line at the Pan Mass Challenge in Sturbridge, Mass. "I don't think he has much chance at all to try to prove his innocence."

The case is expected to go to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency; the process could take months, possibly with appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"It doesn't end here," said Landis' Spanish lawyer, Jose Maria Buxeda. "What matters is the concept. A prohibited substance has been found in the samples, but no immediate sanction comes into effect yet. The rider will defend himself."

Landis, a 30-year-old former mountain biker, says he was tested eight other times during the three-week tour and those results came back negative.

Landis has hired high-profile American lawyer Howard Jacobs, who has represented several athletes in doping cases.

Jacobs plans to go after the UCI for allegedly leaking information regarding the sample testing.

Earlier this week, a New York Times report cited a source from the UCI saying that a second analysis of Landis' "A" sample by carbon isotope ratio testing had detected synthetic testosterone -- meaning it was ingested.

"The offense is complete," World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound said. "All that remains to be seen is what the sanction is.

"A doping offense occurs when a presence of a prohibited substance is detected in the urine or blood analysis. That's been done," he said.

Since the Phonak team was informed of the positive test on July 27, Landis and his defense team have offered various explanations for the high testosterone reading -- including cortisone shots taken for pain in Landis' degenerating hip; drinking beer and whiskey the night before; thyroid medication; and his natural metabolism.

Another theory -- dehydration -- was rebuffed by anti-doping experts.

"When I heard it was synthetic hormone, it is almost impossible to be caused by natural events. It's kind of a downer," said LeMond, the first American to win the Tour. "I feel for Floyd's family. I hope Floyd will come clean on it and help the sport. We need to figure out how to clean the sport up, and we need the help of Floyd."

In Murrieta, Calif., where Landis lives, an AP reporter was asked by police to leave the gated community when she attempted to approach his house. Several cars were parked in front, and the blinds were drawn.

A man who said he was a friend of the family, but didn't want his name used, answered the phone at the Landis' house and confirmed the cyclist was there.

"We're drinking some coffee, and that's about it," he said.

Despite the latest test results a sign at a nearby freeway exit said, "Welcome Home Floyd Landis, 2006 Tour de France Winner."

In Lancaster County, Pa., where Landis was raised in a conservative Mennonite home, neighbors vowed their support.

"All he has accomplished, he has attained through his hard work and discipline. We are very confident he will prove his innocence. It is very unfortunate that these tests were revealed before he had a chance to do so," said Tammy Martin, a longtime family friend.

Paul and Arlene Landis, who have supported their son since the doping scandal broke, were out of town on a previously scheduled vacation.

A sign posted on their front yard said, "God Bless, Went Camping."

__________________________________

It's a pity really. After watching his interviews I was starting to believe him because he looked so honest and credible.

[faceless]

It is a shame really, and I was actually hoping that the second test would be negative.

[HandoGod]

Bad lad.

I heard his 2nd was possitive, he'll be stripped of his title, and he's been sacked by his team.

[eefanincan]

[IRiSHMaFIA]