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Landis will skip Tour de France
By Graham Bowley
The American cyclist Floyd Landis agreed Thursday not to defend his controversial 2006 victory in the Tour de France.
In return, France's anti-doping agency said it would postpone a decision on whether to suspend him from racing for two years after he was accused of using an illegal steroid to help him win the tour.
The agency's president, Pierre Bordry, said the French authority would resume its deliberations on the case no later than June, after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency considers its own doping case against Landis.
The cyclist is facing a two-year ban from cycling and the loss of his Tour title after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. The test result was reported the day after he won.
"He understood perfectly that if he didn't act today, we would start the procedure immediately," Bordry said in a statement, according to news reports. "We will let Landis defend himself as he wishes before the Usada."
During last year's Tour, Landis tested positive for an unusually high level of testosterone. Landis, 31, has denied any wrongdoing and is appealing the charges.
Four and a half months ago, Landis underwent hip replacement surgery and has said that he would be unlikely to compete in the Tour de France this July. He has agreed, however, to ride in the grueling Leadville 100 mountain bike race in Leadville, Colorado, in August.
If he loses his appeal, he would be the first cyclist in the history of the race to be stripped of his title.
In the United States, Landis and his lawyers are expected to present their case before a three-person arbitration panel on May 14. Landis or the agency could appeal the result to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and that decision would be final.
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