Landis charges lab, wants USADA investigated

By Susan Westemeyer

The French lab that has conducted tests on Floyd Landis's doping samples allegedly destroyed electronically stored data concerning those tests, the cyclist has charged.

In a statement released Sunday, Simon Davis, a technical consultant for Landis, said that "critical evidence stored as electronic data files had been erased from the hard drive and the original data destroyed at the Laboratoire National de Depistage du Dopage (LNDD). The existing data bears indication of alteration."

According to the French AFP press agency, Davis and representatives of the USADA were at the lab last week "to witness the extraction of the data files by an independent expert commissioned to retrieve and analyse the files," which "electronically preserved records of the Isotope Ratio Mass Spectometry tests conducted on Landis' stage 17 samples."

In the statement, Landis charged that before Davis and the independent expert arrived, the LNDD had destroyed the original electronic files of the relevant test results, "exposing the files to potential tampering."

In addition, Landis said that he was considering asking the US Department of Justice to investigate the use of government funds by USADA in his doping case. "I have every confidence that they can determine if any misuse of federal funds and any resulting criminal activity has taken place on the part of USADA in my case," he said.

Cyclingnews' coverage of the Floyd Landis case

September 28, 2008 - Landis takes case to US federal court
September 10, 2008 - Landis signing with current Health Net-Maxxis team for 2009
July 1, 2008 - CAS delivers final blow to Landis legal challenge
June 30, 2008 - Landis loses final appeal
June 28, 2008 - Landis decision due Monday
March 12, 2008 - Landis' judgment day nears
October 21, 2007 - Landis files appeal with CAS
October 18, 2007 - AFLD takes another look at Landis case
Thursday, October 11 - Landis continues fight, appeals to CAS
Saturday, September 22 - UCI officially names Pereiro 2006 Tour champion, Landis case raises issues
Friday, September 21 - Landis' appeal denied, two year suspension levied

Cyclingnews' complete coverage of the Floyd Landis case