Anyone heard of Floyd Landis? Sorry for the cliche rhetorical question. I won't link to the hundreds of posts here on Floyd Landis and the Tour de France. However there is a new development.
Tour runner-up Spain's Oscar Pereiro is in a bit of a spot as just reported by WSOCTV in Carolina. (not to mention a few other news outlets) Incredible.
Tour De France Runner-Up Could Be In Trouble
POSTED: 2:46 pm EST January 18, 2007UPDATED: 3:03 pm EST January 18, 2007
PARIS -- Spain's Oscar Pereiro, the runner-up in last year's Tour de France, reportedly tested positive twice during the race for an asthma drug. The French daily Le Monde said the International Cycling Union had granted Pereiro a certificate to use the drug for medical reasons. However, the paper reported that France's anti-doping agency doesn't believe that the waiver was medically justified and will examine the case. Pereiro could be declared the winner of the race if American Floyd Landis is stripped of his title. A doping test showed that Landis had elevated levels of testosterone, and if an appeal by Landis is rejected, he could be banned from cycling for two years.
Here is more from Bloomberg:
Tour de France's Pereiro Ordered to Explain Positive Drug Test
By Alex Duff and Ravi Ubha
Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Tour de France runnerup Oscar Pereiro was today ordered to submit documentation to French anti-doping authorities after it emerged that he tested positive for a banned substance during last year's race.
The Spanish cyclist took the drug, salbutamol, after receiving clearance to do so from cycling's ruling body, Tour de France spokesman Mathieu Desplats said in an interview. The French anti-doping agency gave him a Jan. 25 deadline to respond after he failed to reply to three letters, Desplats added.
Dude, reply to your letters. From experience, I tell you that.
Comments