Tour de France champion Floyd Landis received notice that the US Anti-Doping Review Board (ADRB) has...
Floyd Landis on the podium in Paris after his 2006 Tour de France victory (Image credit: Sirotti)
Hip replacement scheduled next Wednesday
Tour de France champion Floyd Landis received notice that the US Anti-Doping Review Board (ADRB) has recommended that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) move forward in the disciplinary process related to his alleged positive drug test for testosterone on July 20, 2006, the day he won the seventeenth stage of the Tour de France after a day-long escape.
Howard Jacobs, attorney for Landis, will request an open hearing by the American Arbitration Association to contest potential sanctions against the athlete. In a public statement, Jacobs said his legal team is "poised to bring a very strong case to arbitration".
"Last week's motion for dismissal provides the foundation for an appeal that uses fact-based science to support Landis' innocence. Landis is confident that the hearing will reveal the truth and he is looking forward to clearing his name in an open and public forum," said Jacobs.
While his legal team prepares for arbitration, Landis will focus on his upcoming hip replacement surgery, scheduled for next Wednesday, September 27. "Floyd is going to undergo a state of the art procedure that will maximise his chances of returning to racing at the top level," said Brent Kay, M.D., Landis' physician and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Following surgery, Landis will go through physical therapy to regain strength and range of movement in the hip.
