If you still want to believe in Floyd Landis, then you'll want to read his interview in USA Today.
Landis, who's holed up at his home in Murrieta, California, blamed the leaks from Union Cycliste Internationale for his having to scramble to try and come up with an explanation for the out-of-whack testosterone-epitestosterone ratio in his urine samples.
Those results have already cost him his job at Phonak, his credibility, and most likely his Tour de France championship.
He noted that American sprinter Justin Gatlin's positive results for testosterone wasn't announced by track and field officials for three months; Landis had maybe two days, tops. The cyclist said Pat McQuaid, the head of UCI, wanted to release the information “before the lab leaked it.”
He says it took a week to get the documentation about the original sample. He had to learn about the follow-up test results in the media.
“I was tested six times before this case, and two times afterward… all of them negative. Nobody in their right mind would start taking testosterone or steroids in the middle of a race, knowing they're going to be tested.
“Just think about the big picture here. None of this makes any sense. So I hope that whoever still believes me, continues to believe me.”
They believe him in his hometown of Farmersville, Pa. Friends and neighbors where Landis grew up in the Mennonite community issued a statement on Saturday that they're confident he'll prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, Murrieta police are guarding the entrance gates the community where Landis lives after neighbors complained about photographers jumping through yards at 2 in the morning. The city posted “Welcome Home” signs for Landis throughout the city, but a victory celebration has appropriately been put on hold.
Landis undergoes hip surgery in two weeks, USA Today reported. Then he needs to prepare for a hearing before the US Anti-Doping Agency.
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