Landis: Don't Judge Me

Tour De France Champ Says His Testosterone Is Always High, Not Result Of Drugs

(CBS/AP) 
Dr. Gary Wadler, a drug expert, told CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian that it is unlikely a doctor prescribed the drug to him for medical reasons.

"I cannot imagine that a doctor would have given him testosterone for the treatment of his hip disease, the athlete knowing the rules and regulations of doping in this sport," said Wadler, who is a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency and a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine.

Landis told Sports Illustrated, however, that elevated testosterone is common among pro cyclists and he is consulting with a Spanish doctor who has helped other riders clear their names. Landis also raised the possibility that a small amount of hormone he's been taking for a thyroid condition or the cortisone shots he gets for hip pain skewed the result.

Still, he said he "wouldn't hold it against somebody if they don't believe me."

Arlene Landis said her son called Thursday from Europe and told her he had not done anything wrong.

"I remain positive that he's a man of honor and he's not proven guilty yet," she told CBS News.

Second-place finisher Oscar Pereiro, who would become champion if Landis is not cleared, said he was in no mood to celebrate.

"Should I win the Tour now it would feel like an academic victory," Pereiro told the AP at his home in Vigo, Spain. "The way to celebrate a win is in Paris, otherwise it's just a bureaucratic win."

The Swiss-based Phonak team said it was notified by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Wednesday that Landis' sample showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when he was tested after stage 17 of the race last Thursday.

Landis made a remarkable comeback in that Alpine stage, racing far ahead of the field for a solo win that moved him from 11th to third overall. Despite a degenerative hip condition that will require surgery, he regained the leader's yellow jersey two days later.

"The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result," the Phonak statement said.

UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani said the cycling body doesn't require analysis of the "B" sample, but that Landis requested it.

"We are confident in the first (test)," Carpani said. "For us, the first one is already good."

Under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations, a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone greater than 4:1 is considered a positive result and subject to investigation. The threshold was recently lowered from 6:1. The most likely natural ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in humans is 1:1.

Testosterone is included as an anabolic steroid on WADA's list of banned substances, and its use can be punished by a two-year ban.

Testosterone can build muscle and improve recovery time when used over a period of several weeks, Wadler told The Associated Press. But if Landis had been a user, his earlier urine tests during the tour would have been affected, he said.

"So something's missing here," Wadler said. "It just doesn't add up."

Landis wrapped up his Tour de France win on Sunday, keeping the title in U.S. hands for the eighth straight year. Lance Armstrong, long dogged by doping whispers and allegations, won the previous seven. Armstrong never has tested positive for drugs and vehemently has denied doping.

On Thursday, Armstrong was riding in RAGBRAI, an annual bike ride across Iowa that attracts thousands of riders.

At the first break in Sully, Iowa, about 50 miles southeast of Des Moines, Armstrong had little to say at the Coffee Cup Cafe, where he grabbed a slice of coconut cream pie and a big glass of ice water.

When asked about Landis, Armstrong told The Associated Press: "I'm not here to talk about that."

Landis' inspiring Tour ride reminded many of fellow American Tyler Hamilton's gritty 2003 performance. Hamilton, riding for team CSC, broke his collarbone on the first day of the Tour but rode on, despite the pain, and finished fourth overall.

But a year later, Hamilton, then riding for Phonak, tested positive for blood doping at a Spanish race and now is serving a two-year ban. He has denied blood doping.

On the eve of the Tour's start, nine riders — including pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso — were ousted, implicated in a Spanish doping investigation.

The names of Ullrich and Basso turned up on a list of 56 cyclists who allegedly had contact with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who's at the center of the Spanish doping probe. Landis was not implicated in that investigation.