LANDIS LOSES FINAL CAS APPEAL OVER 2006 TOUR DE FRANCE POSITIVE

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Floyd Landis? appeal against his two year-ban for testosterone, confirming that the American rider tested positive during the 2006 Tour de France.

CAS announced its verdict on Monday afternoon after three months of deliberation following a hearing in New York in March.

CAS confirmed that Landis is suspended until September 30 2009 and also ordered him to pay $100,000 towards the estimated $1.3 costs incurred by the US Anti-Doping Agency to fight the case.

TWO-YEAR FIGHT FOR NOTHING

During the last two years, Landis spent most of his earnings fighting his case. He always denied doping but his denial means nothing after the CAS decision.

Landis tested positive for testosterone after winning stage 17 of the 2006 Tour de France to Morzine with a 130km lone break through the Alps.

He had lost the yellow jersey the day before but made an amazing comeback and regained enough time to take the jersey from Spain?s Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d?Epargne) in the final time trial.

The former mountain-biker pulled on the final winner?s yellow jersey in Paris, following in the footstep of former team leader Lance Armstrong, but four days later was notified that he had tested positive for testosterone.

Landis always claimed the French Chatenay-Malabry lap made vital errors during testing. However Landis was found guilty and officially suspended on September 30 2007 after a long and often emotional public hearing that included revelations from former Tour de France winner Greg Lemond.

The judges ruled 2-1 against Landis. They accepted that the initially testosterone/epitestosterone ratio test had been flawed but suspended him because the more detailed carbon isotope follow-up test proved the presence of artificial testosterone in Landis? urine sample.

The CAS confirmed the sentence and cleared the Chatenay-Malabry of any wrongdoing.

In recent months Landis has kept a low profile and is not expected to ever make a return to professional cycling.