USA: CYCLING/CYCLE RACING: Tour de France winner Floyd Landis is still a hometown hero to his neighbors in California despite the scandal over his positive dope test

There was no sign of Floyd Landis at his Murrieta, California home on Saturday (August 5) but there was visible support for the beleaguered Tour de France champion in his local community. "At this point from what they are telling me he is not home and they are expecting him they thought he was going to be home today," John Denton, a neighbor of Floyd Landis told Reuters. Two banners draped over the entrance to his gated community home proclaimed: 'Welcome home 2006 champion Tour de France Floyd Landis'. "Having a local hero live like right near by is actually really neat because he is a real person and people look up to him and can actually know him and know where he lives and see he is just regular like everyone else is. I think that is pretty cool he is a local hero and someone to look up to," said Patricia O' Brien, a neighbor of Floyd Landis. The same message was on a hoarding greeting visitors to the southern California town as they left the freeway and yellow T-shirts were on sale at Murrieta's bicycle shop owned by Matt Barringer a co- owner of I.E. (Inland Empire) bikes who has know Landis for four years. "This is I.E. Bikes we are here in pretty much the heart of Murrieta pretty much trying to support Floyd (Landis) in every way we can we are just a local bike shop that he comes into every once and a while. Juts chills out with us and his wife comes in all the time or his brother in law comes in all the time," said Barringer. Landis tested positive for excessive amounts of the male sex hormone testosterone after his victory in the 17th stage of the Tour on July 20 and a second drugs sample confirmed the result, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Saturday making it likely that Landis will be first Tour de France winner to lose his title because of a positive dope test. "Really what I think is that he is getting a bad rap right of the bat. This is still America innocent until proven guilty. His entire camp knew that his results where going to come back the same why wouldn't they? Were are just going to support him one hundred percent until we know what's going. Because the test they are using are rather archaic there easily tainted. Just by alcohol they can be tainted by over 300 percent, just from alcohol consumption, so it is quite easy for the test results to get skewed, " Barringer said. Cyclists from Murrieta cycling club gathered in his store to show support for 30-year-old Landis who had been a loyal supporter of the club. "We went on a ride this morning and we are here now to support Floyd. We believe he is innocent of all the allegations, whatever the situation is, are natural like he says and we are totally supportive of him. I think it is pretty crazy myself. I feel sorry for his family for all they have to go through; I mean he is totally innocent in my view so I am just shocked," said Sharon Roberts of the Murrieta cycling club.

ITN Source | August 6, 2006

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