Landis to take case to CAS

Floyd Landis, facing the loss of his 2006 Tour de France title on a doping charge, will take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the cyclist said on his website.

Landis will ask the Lausanne-based CAS to overturn the decision handed down on 20 September by a panel of three US arbitrators, who ruled 2-1 that Landis was guilty of using synthetic testosterone during his triumphant Tour campaign.

US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) officials and Landis's attorneys gave evidence to the three-man arbitration panel over nine days in May, the US cycling star maintaining his innocence despite testing positive for synthetic testosterone.

'Knowing that the accusations against me are simply wrong, and having risked all my energy and resources - including those of my family, friends and supporters - to show clearly that I won the 2006 Tour de France fair and square, I will continue to fight for what I know is right,' Landis said on an item posted on the floydfairnessfund.org website, through which he has raised money for his defence.

Landis reiterated his belief that the anti-doping system is unfairly weighted against competitors and needs to be changed.

'I will continue to work to clear my name and fight for change in the name of fairness and justice.

'No matter the final outcome of my case, there must be change in the current system if athletes can ever hope to compete on a level playing field and return to the joy and inspiration that sport can bring all of us.

'My hope is that the CAS panel will review my case on the basis of the facts and the science, and to approach my appeal from the principle that the anti-doping authorities must uphold the highest levels of appropriate process, technical skill, science and professional standards to pronounce judgment on matters that hold an athlete's career, accomplishments and livelihood in the balance.'

The International Cycling Union, the sport's global governing body, last month declared Oscar Pereiro the 2006 Tour de France champion.

The Spaniard finished second, 57 seconds behind Landis.

Pereiro is due to receive his yellow jersey as the retrospective winner of the Tour at a ceremony in Madrid on Monday, organizers said this week.

Landis appeared to have fallen out of contention after struggling to the finish of stage 16 in the 2006 Tour, but he rallied to win stage 17 with a stunning effort, pulling back almost eight minutes on his way to an eventual triumph that was tainted by the positive doping test and undone by the lost appeal.