"Landis no longer winner"
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ByEurosport
Published 05/08/2006 at 11:37 GMT
Though the fate of Floyd Landis' yellow jersey rests with the UCI, Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said the American was no longer the race's champion. The Frenchman said that he can't imagine a situation in which Oscar Pereiro does not take o
CYCLING 2006 Tour de France Prudhomme announcing Basso, Mancebo, Ullrich out
Image credit: Reuters
"It goes without saying that for us Floyd Landis is no longer the winner of the 2006 Tour de France," Prudhomme told The Associated Press after Landis' B sample test from his stage 17 victory came back positive for testosterone on Saturday.
"Our determination is even stronger now to fight against doping and to defend this magnificent sport."
Prudhomme said Spain's Oscar Pereiro, who finished in second-place 57 seconds behind Landis in the general classification, would become the new champion.
"We can't imagine a different outcome," he said.
After a race that began amidst a massive doping scandal when the race's two favourites were suspended with a group of riders implicated in a Spanish doping investigation, Landis would be the first rider in the 103-year history of the Tour to lose his title for doping charges.
But the UCI will wait until after American disciplinary hearings before deciding on whether to strip Landis of the Tour crown, UCI lawyer Philippe Verbiest said.
"Until he is found guilty or admits guilt, he will keep the yellow jersey," Verbiest said. "This is normal. You are not sanctioned before you are found guilty."
Whatever the outcome of the USADA's tribunal, Prudhomme's statements certainly mean a final severing of relations between the race and the American Landis.
Though race organisers had been overtly critical of Landis since his first sample tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone a week ago, as of Saturday the lead headline on the official Tour de France website was "Landis: A Leader For A New Generation."
Looking at a possible two-year suspension and a planned hip surgery, the 30-year-old Landis’ future hopes of restoring his credibility with the world’s greatest cycling race are now slim-to-nil.
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