Phonak: Landis faces sacking

2006-07-27 19:23

Paris - Tour de France winner Floyd Landis will be sacked from the Phonak team if a second sample confirms his positive test for testosterone during the race, his team manager said on Thursday.

John Lelangue told AFP he still had faith in the 30-year-old American but would be obliged to apply the team's ethics code if the B sample also came back positive.

"We are surprised by the result but we will apply the procedure of the ethics code that we have signed," he said.

"Floyd is going to ask for a counter analysis but we are not going to enter him in races until the matter is clarified.

"If the result from the B sample confirms the first result, there will be dismissal."

The Swiss team earlier said it was notified by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Wednesday that a test taken after Landis's stunning solo victory in the mountainous 17th stage showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosteron ratio".

"I'm not a scientist and I'm not going talk about the levels or ratios," Lelangue told AFP.

"I know there are cases of natural production of testosterone. Then it becomes a matter of endocrinological examinations."

- AFP