Floyd Landis reacts to Vino news

The news Tuesday that Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for homologous blood transfusion and that the Astana team will withdraw from the 2007 Tour de France raised a number of concerns with Floyd Landis. One of them was the question about fairness, which the California resident said was not adequately considered in the months leading up to the Floyd Landis trial in Malibu, California that alleged Landis used testosterone in the 2006 Tour de France.

"Just as in my case, LNDD (Laboratoire National de Dépistage du Dopage / National Anti-doping Laboratory) has leaked the test results to l'Equipe, permanently damaging Vino's reputation and causing him to defend an allegation without any evidence. Furthermore, it is similar to my case because the LNDD's leaked results have the potential to alter the outcome of the Tour de France before they have proved the alleged doping violation," said Floyd.

Floyd is awaiting the results of the nine-day arbitration held on May 14. "Although we certainly are concerned about the impact of doping on sports, we hope that LNDD's allegations will be supported by evidence, unlike Floyd's case, for the sake of the Tour de France and all its riders," said Landis' attorney, Maurice Suh.