Paris- Hours after his stirring Tour de France comeback win was cast into
doubt Thursday by news of a high testosterone test, American cyclist Floyd
Landis said he expects to prove his innocence.
That could happen if Landis' backup, or "B" sample, tests clean -
meaning the entire test is considered negative. But even if Landis keeps the
title, he expects the disgrace of doping will follow him for a long, long time.
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Tour de France winner Floyd Landis leaves the
doping control caravan in Paris, July, 23, 2006.
[AP]
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"I think there's a good possibility
I'll clear my name," Landis said. "Regardless of whether this happens or not, I
don't know if this will ever go away."
The Switzerland-based Phonak team will ask for the "B" sample analysis in the
next few days, manager John Lelangue said. It was not clear exactly when that
will occur, but the International Cycling Union says it must be within 10
working days of the request.
In the meantime, Landis will wait.
"All I'm asking for is that I be given a chance to prove I'm innocent," he
said Thursday via teleconference from Europe. "Cycling has a traditional way of
trying people in the court of public opinion before they get a chance to do
anything else."
Landis said he has no idea what may have caused his positive test for high
testosterone following the Tour's 17th stage last week, in which he made his
comeback charge.
Phonak suspended Landis after the ICU notified it Wednesday that he had an
"unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when his test was taken last
Thursday, the day he staked his comeback in the Alps.
"My immediate reaction was to look for the alcohol bottle," joked Landis,
who's known to enjoy a beer on the Tour and said he drank whiskey with teammates
to bury their sorrows after Landis nearly fell out of contention the day before
his stage 17 charge.
Landis wrapped up the Tour win Sunday, keeping the title in US hands for the
eighth straight year. Lance Armstrong, who won the previous seven, was himself
dogged for years by doping allegations that he vehemently denied - and were
never proven by a positive test.
Armstrong was riding in RAGBRAI, an annual trek across Iowa that attracts
thousands of bike riders. After finishing his ride Thursday, Armstrong said
would wait to see what happened when his former US Postal Service teammate got
the results from his second sample.
"Until that happens," Armstrong said, "I don't have anything to say."
Second-place finisher Oscar Pereiro, who would become champion if Landis is
not cleared, said he was in no mood to celebrate.
"Should I win the Tour now it would feel like an academic victory," Pereiro
told The Associated Press at his home in Vigo, Spain. "The way to celebrate a
win is in Paris, otherwise it's just a bureaucratic win."
