VARIOUS: Tour de France winner Landis tests positive.

Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone, the U.S. rider's Phonak team said on Thursday (July 27). "The Phonak Cycling Team was notified yesterday by (world cycling body) 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," Phonak said in a team statement. Landis produced a remarkable effort a week ago to win the 17th stage of cycling's showpiece event following a disastrous 16th stage in which he dropped from first to 11th place. Phonak said Landis would not ride until the matter had been clarified and said that if the B sample analysis confirmed the result of the A sample, the rider would be dismissed. Phonak added: "The team management and the rider were both totally surprised by this physiological result. "The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis to prove either that this result has come from a natural process or that this is the result of a mistake." On Wednesday (July 26), the International Cycling Union (UCI) received a report from the anti-doping laboratory in Paris stating "there was an adverse analytical finding following an anti-doping test carried out at the Tour de France 2006." The test was conducted at a specialised anti-doping lab in Chatenay-Malabry, outside Paris, from a sample taken during the Tour. Confirmation of a positive drugs test for Landis is the final blow for a race beset by doping problems before it had even started. Landis's main rivals for the title, Jan Ullrich of Germany and Ivan Basso of Italy, were withdrawn immediately before the start of the Tour in Strasbourg after they were linked to a Spanish doping investigation. Ullrich, the 1997 champion, and Giro d'Italia winner Basso both denied any involvement. Ullrich was subsequently sacked by his T-Mobile team. T-Mobile also suspended his team mate Oscar Sevilla and sporting director Rudy Pevenage. The entire Astana-Wuerth were withdrawn after five of their riders were found on a list provided by the Spanish police. As a result the peleton was cut from 21 to 20 teams and from 189 to 176 riders. The investigation came to light in May when the Spanish Civil Guard raided addresses in Madrid and Zaragoza and found anabolic steroids, equipment used for blood tranfusions and more than 100 bags of frozen blood. On Thursday (July 27), Landis had pulled out of Jyske Bank Grand Prix in Denmark. He also did not ride in the "Acht Van Chaam" race, on Wednesday (July 26) in the Netherlands. The American, who won a similar event in Stiphout, alsp in the Netherlands on Tuesday (July 25), cancelled his appearance in Chaam just five minutes before the start of the race. Maarten van Stijn, manager of the event, said: "In the late afternoon we got the message from his teammate Robert that Floyd wasn't in a hotel anymore, so that he left suddenly this afternoon. And, as we were told, he was together with his team manager John De Lang on his way to Germany to the doctor." Dutch news agency ANP quoted team mate Koos Moerenhout as saying that Landis had pain from hip problem and had gone to see his doctor in Germany. Landis is currently suffering from a damaged hip and was expected to undergo surgery within the next two months. Factbox on American Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France winner, tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone: Born: October 14, 1975 in Farmersville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Team: Phonak Height: 1.78 metres. Weight: 69 kgs Professional victories: 10 * Born in a community of Mennonites, a branch of the Christian Anabaptist church, Landis bought his first mountain bike at 15 and won the first mountain bike race he entered. * In 1995, he moved to California and became a full time rider. Switched to road racing and joined Lance Armstrong's U.S. Postal team. * Split with Armstrong in 2005 and joined the Swiss team Phonak. * Won inaugural Tour of California in 2006 as well as Paris-Nice classic and Tour of Georgia. * Battled back from nightmare 16th stage in the Alps to win stages 17 and set up Tour de France triumph. * His team Phonak announced he had given a positive test for the male sex hormone testosterone from a sample given after the 200km 17th stage which he won. Final classification from the Tour de France before Floyd Landis was tested positive: : 1. Floyd Landis (U.S. / Phonak ) 89:39:30" 2. Oscar Pereiro (Spain / Caisse d'Epargne ) +57" 3. Andreas Kloeden (Germany / T-Mobile ) +1:29" 4. Carlos Sastre (Spain / Team CSC ) +3:13" 5. Cadel Evans (Australia / Davitamon - Lotto ) +5:08" 6. Denis Menchov (Russia / Rabobank ) +7:06" 7. Cyril Dessel (France / AG2R ) +8:41" 8. Christophe Moreau (France / AG2R ) +9:37" 9. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain / Euskaltel ) +12:05" 10. Michael Rogers (Australia / T-Mobile ) +15:07" 11. Fraenk Schleck (Luxembourg / Team CSC ) +17:46" 12. Damiano Cunego (Italy / Lampre ) +19:19" 13. Levi Leipheimer (U.S. / Gerolsteiner ) +19:22" 14. Michael Boogerd (Netherlands / Rabobank ) +19:46" 15. Markus Fothen (Germany / Gerolsteiner ) +19:57" 16. Pietro Caucchioli (Italy / Credit Agricole ) +21:12" 17. Tadej Valjavec (Slovenia / Lampre ) +26:25" 18. Michael Rasmussen (Denmark / Rabobank ) +28:33" 19. Jose Azevedo (Portugal / Discovery Channel ) +38:08" 20. Marzio Bruseghin (Italy / Lampre ) +43:05"

ITN Source | July 28, 2006

Tags:. .nightmare. .lang. .prix. .rudy. .dutch