Floyd Landis lost his final chance to retain his 2006 Tour de France title Monday, the last step of a long, multimillion-dollar process that poked holes in the anti-doping establishment but ultimately left the cyclist as just another convicted cheater.
A three-person panel at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a previous panel's decision, ruling his positive doping test during the Tour two years ago was, indeed, valid. Landis also must pay $100,000 US toward the legal fees of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
In its 58-page decision, the CAS panel said the lab that analyzed Landis' positive test results used some "less-than-ideal laboratory practices, but not lies, fraud, forgery or cover-ups," the way the Landis camp had alleged.
In the end, the panel saved its harshest criticism for Landis, who it said essentially tried to muddle the evidence and embarrass the French lab, and continued on that course even after the evidence was shown not to exist.
CBC.ca
