It almost seemed too good to be true: An American with a bad hip overcoming an eight minute deficit to win the Tour de France.
It looks like it was:
Floyd Landis, the winner of this year’s Tour de France, has tested positive for a banned substance, according to his Phonak team.
. . .
According to sources in France, the rider concerned is said to have tested positive for testosterone after last Thursday’s stage through the Alps to Morzine, which was won, after a 130-kilometre solo breakaway, by Landis who went on to secure overall victory in the Tour, which finished in Paris on Sunday.
This news comes to a Tour that had already been plagued by drug scandal when several big-name riders were disqualified from participating. It’s going to be tough overcoming this black eye.
UPDATE: As commenters note here, the test reportedly failed isn’t a conclusive finding that Landis is guilty. There’s apparently another test and some sort of appeals process. Still, even if he is somehow cleared, this whole incident is still bad public relations for cycling.