French newspapers blame Landis
2006-07-28 14:39
Paris - French newspapers blamed Floyd
Landis on Friday for ruining what had looked like a thrilling
Tour de France following the news that the American had tested
positive on his way to victory.
"Landis's fault," screamed Friday's headline of the sports
daily L'Equipe, whose publishing group organises the event.
"Caught up by doping, Landis can lose everything," read a
headline in daily Le Parisien. The accompanying report said the
cycling world was disgusted with the news that Landis had tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone.
Le Parisien pointed out that Landis could become the first
Tour winner to be disqualified for doping if a second sample
confirmed the positive test.
The newspaper also quoted Spain's Oscar Pereiro, who
finished second overall and could be declared the winner, as
saying he would rather remain second and learn that Landis was
innocent.
L'Equipe wrote that testosterone alone could not explain how
Landis had staged a remarkable comeback in the race's last
mountain stage, a day after struggling badly in the French Alps.
"Testosterone is not a stimulant with immediate effects,
even if it has been used in the search for such results in fight sports," the newspaper wrote. "It does not give an immediate boost but has a long-term effect on the power of the engine."