Landis not losing sleep over lost Tour title
Landis (Getty Images©.)
Disgraced US cyclist Floyd Landis says he won the Tour de France fairly and that he's not losing sleep over a decision to strip him of his title following a positive drug test.
A defiant Landis reiterated on Tuesday earlier claims that the anti-doping watchdogs, and not him, are the ones not playing by the rules.
"I'm angry about the split decision ruling against me last week," Landis said. "I can sleep at night knowing that I won the 2006 Tour de France fair and square. I will always consider myself the rightful winner."
Landis won the 2006 Tour but tested positive for synthetic testosterone use during the event.
That forced Landis to go to an arbitration hearing against the US Anti-Doping Agency.
Last week the arbitration panel ruled two-to-one against the San
Diego-based cyclist officially stripping him of his title and slapping him with a two-year ban for using synthetic testosterone.
The verdict comes almost four months after the longest anti-doping hearing in US history, a rare public session in which Landis' lawyers questioned the chain of command from the French laboratory that handles Landis' testing.
"We have shown that the anti-doping system is corrupt, inefficient and unfair," Landis said.
"The straightforward and clear dissent in support of my casecontrasts sharply with the scientifically flawed and illogical majority decision against me, not to mention the nonsensical ruling regarding when my proposed two-year suspension should start. "The Landis camp contended that accuracy and reliability of test procedures of the French AFLD lab and the competency of its findings were suspect, saying their loss showed athletes cannot win through the appeal system.
"I still have hope the system can be changed so that no other athlete has to suffer through this process," Landis said.
Landis also said he now plans to get on with his life but did not go into details.
"Whatever the way ahead, it will be good to be moving forward with my life, and at this point I will take some time to review my options," Landis said.
The International Cycling Union, the sport's global governing body, has declared Oscar Pereiro the 2006 Tour de France champion. The Spaniard finished second, 57 seconds behind Landis.
AFP 2007©.
User Comments
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bisickle
Posted Thu 27 Sep, 9:42 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Floyd, you are a cheat and you know so. You have disgraced the name of the best sport in the world. Not only because you doped, we know there are other riders out there, but because you denied it all the way through shamelessly skimpering away with your tail tucked so far between your legs one would question your sexuality.
The things that came out from your support group, having to do with a GREAT American cyclist, Greg LeMond, were childish, ignorant and just plain evil.
When somebody trusts you with a secret, you are supposed to keep it.
You kept yours for far too long from the great fans of this sport. Now that your secret is out, you have to deal with the consequences. You DID NOT with the 2006 TdF fair and square, you don't deserve to be seen near the colour yellow for the rest of your days-as far as this one time fan is concerned.
You've let down your fns, the fans of the sport, your team and to bring it to a larger scale...every American that was routing for you that day. You deserve worse then what you've been given. So just be happy that you're getting off this easy.
Open your eyes.
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Donga
Posted Fri 28 Sep, 9:33 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Aside from whether or not Floyd is guilty, cycling is not served well by a laboratory system with inadequate quality procedures, nor by a regulatory system that can punish a person based on questionable evidence from a compromised laboratory. One hopes that the ICU will review the flaws raised in the Landis case and move to tighten its system.
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