Landis: Don't Judge Me
Floyd Landis said he has naturally high testosterone levels, and will undergo tests to prove he is not guilty of doping at the Tour de France.
"We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case but a natural occurrence," Landis said Thursday in his first public appearance since a positive doping test cast doubt on one of the most stirring Tour de France comeback wins in history.
Landis said his positive test results had nothing to do with doping, and that the high level of testosterone in his blood was the result of his natural metabolism.
"I would like to make absolutely clear that I am not in any doping process," Landis said. "I ask not to be judged by anyone, much less sentenced by anyone."
The American cyclist chastised the media for confusing the public by implying that he was accused of doping, and he defended himself as an honest competitor who had devoted his life to the sport of cycling.
"I declare convincingly and categorically that my winning the Tour de France has been exclusively due to many years of training and my complete devotion to cycling," he said. "I was the strongest guy. I deserved to win, and I'm proud of it."
It was Landis's first public appearance since testing positive for high testosterone following the Tour's 17th stage last week. That was the stage in which he made a charge that ultimately led to his comeback victory in cycling's signature event.
Landis and the rest of the cycling world must await a second test that will either confirm the results of the first one, or clear his name. The rider said he hoped that would be concluded as soon as possible.
Landis said he was shocked when told of the initial positive result. He said he had been tested six other times during the tour, and many other times during the year.
The Phonak team suspended Landis, pending results of the backup "B" sample of his drug test. If Landis is found guilty, he could be stripped of the Tour title and fired from the team.
Meanwhile, the head of cycling's world governing body pledged Friday to wage "a crusade against doping."
Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union, cautioned that, while Landis' first urine sample was positive, "we have to wait for the B sample before we can start the sanctioning process."
McQuaid said he was disgusted with the way drugs accusations overshadowed this year's Tour, and promised within the next few weeks he would unveil "a crusade against doping" to ensure this didn't happen again.
"There's no doubt, I'm very angered by this," McQuaid said of the Landis news. "I'm also very angered by the events that came out in Spain before the Tour de France," he said, referring to the suspension on the eve of the Tour of nine riders, including two favorites, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso.
"The cycling world cannot accept, it's completely impossible, to have a small circle of guys who are willing to risk anything in this way."
Landis had an exemption from the Tour to take cortisone shots for pain in his hip, which will require surgery for a degenerative condition, and was taking an oral medication for hyperthyroidism. He and his doctor were consulting with experts to see if those drugs might have thrown off his testosterone levels.
Landis said he wouldn't be surprised if people were skeptical of him and the sport of cycling, but he pleaded for time to clear his name.
"Unfortunately, I don't think it's ever going to go away no matter what happens next," Landis said. "It appears as though this is a bigger story than winning the Tour, so that's going to be hard to go away."
Landis also denied cheating in a story posted on Sports Illustrated's Web site Thursday.
"No, c'mon man," he said when asked if he used some kind of testosterone patch to gain an advantage.
He added that he "can't be hopeful" that a second test will exonerate him. "I'm a realist," he said.
Steve Madden, Editor In Chief of "Bicycling" magazine, told CBS News' The Early Show that according to UCI protocols, drug test is not positive unless both the 'A' and the 'B' samples test positive.
"Right now there's only been an 'A' sample, and because that news was leaked, there's been a rush to judgment saying he's a doper. That's not strictly speaking true," Madden said.
"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.