news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/5221122.stm
Landis gives positive drugs test
Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has given a positive drugs test, according to his Phonak team.
The American, who claimed victory in the Tour de France on Sunday, has tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone.
The positive test came after stage 17 of the Tour, which saw Landis record an epic victory after struggling on the final climb the day before.
Landis has been suspended pending results of his B sample analysis.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Wednesday that a rider had failed a doping test but would not reveal his name.
"The Phonak Cycling Team was notified on Wednesday by 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," said a team statement.
"The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result.
"The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis (B sample) to prove either that this result has come from a natural process or that this is the result of a mistake."
Phonak have also said that if the second sample confirms the positive test, Landis will be sacked.
"In application of the Pro Tour Ethical Code, the rider will not race anymore until this problem is totally clear," the statement added.
"If the result of the B sample analysis confirms the result of the A sample, the rider will be dismissed and will then pass the corresponding endocrinological examinations."
Landis had already withdrawn from two races in Europe this week, Wednesday's Acht van Chaam street race in the Netherlands and Thursday's Jyske Bank Grand Prix in Denmark.
"Today, Phonak confirmed the cancellation. They could not say anything about why Landis has disappeared," said Jyske Bank Grand Prix spokesman Nils Finderup.
"We have tried to call him, to call his agent, and to call the head of the Phonak team, but no one has answered."
Organisers of the Acht van Chaam event were also angry at Landis' no-show.
"We have tried to contact Floyd and his manager but we have not been able to," said race agent John van den Akker.
"We are very annoyed. We have invested a lot of money to ensure his appearance and we would have expected some kind of explanation."
Landis finished 57 seconds ahead of Spain's Oscar Pereiro in the general classification to claim his first Tour de France title last weekend.
I can't help but
. This sport is so masterful at destroying its credibility, everytime you think it has hit the all-time low, they soon manage to undercut it even more. Any day now they'll get past the low end of the scale and come out again at the other end looking all shiny.
