Landis charged with doping offence

North Carolina (US): Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has been charged with a doping offence by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) which he will contest, his attorney said on Friday.

Landis tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone following a decisive stage of this year's Tour de France.

He was notified in the past few days of the USADA charges, attorney Howard Jacobs said.

"Then we (will) contest it and USADA initiates the arbitration process," Jacobs said.

Landis, 30, will request that a hearing by the American Arbitration Association is open to the public as he contests potential sanctions.

"Landis is confident that the hearing will reveal the truth and he is looking forward to clearing his name in an open and public forum," a statement on his official website said.

Landis has repeatedly denied taking performance-enhancing drugs. He could face a two-year ban from cycling if the charges are upheld and could also be stripped of his Tour de France title.

USADA officials have said that under agency rules they cannot comment on the specifics of any doping case. USADA filed charges against Landis after a review board recommended that the anti-doping agency should move forward in the disciplinary process related to Landis's drugs test of July 20.

Test challenged:

Jacobs had asked the review board to dismiss doping charges against Landis.

"The details of the submission support Landis's long-held innocence and argue that tests conducted on the athlete's 'A' and 'B' urine sample from stage 17 of the Tour de France do not meet the established World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) criteria for a positive doping offense," Jacobs said last week.

"The single (positive) T/E (Testosterone/Epitestosterone) analysis in this case is replete with fundamental, gross errors."

While awaiting a hearing on the charges, Landis will undergo planned hip replacement surgery next week, which he hopes will allow him to defend his Tour de France title.

Landis rode this year's Tour knowing he would need a hip replacement because of a condition called avascular necrosis.

He contracted the condition, which makes riding painful, after breaking his hip four years ago.

"A state of the art procedure will maximize his chances of returning to racing at the top level," his doctor Brent Kay said on Friday.