One day after news broke that an unnamed rider had been caught doping during the Tour de France, it has come out that that rider is Floyd Landis. His first test sample apparently tested positive after stage 17, when he made an amazing come back following his breakdown the day before.

There is no official word yet from Floyd Landis, but his mother weighed in on the allegations.

Arlene Landis, his mother, said Thursday that she wouldn’t blame her son if he was taking medication to treat the pain in his injured hip, but “if it’s something worse than that, then he doesn’t deserve to win. I didn’t talk to him since that hit the fan, but I’m keeping things even keel until I know what the facts are,” she told The Associated Press in a phone interview from her home in Farmersville, Pennsylvania. “I know that this is a temptation to every rider but I’m not going to jump to conclusions … It disappoints me.”

Apparently, the first sample of his urine that was tested contained more testosterone that should have been present, which would normally indicate doping. Landis has insisted on having his second sample tested, but until the results come in he has been suspended from team Phonak and will be fired if his second sample comes back positive as well. If it turns out that he was doping, then the Tour title will be stripped from him and given to Oscar Pereiro of Spain.

I actually agree with Dick Pound for a change, when he acknowledged that somebody being caught doping after all of the news that happened right before the Tour de France began indicates a serious problem with the sport.

If Floyd Landis does get fired from Phonak, I wonder if the Discovery Team will still try to hire him back after he serves his two year suspension? There are rumors that they are trying to hire Jan Ullrich, which I find rather humorous, so I would not put it outside the realm of possibility.

(Source: ESPN.com)