PARIS: The result of Tour de France winner Floyd Landis's backup doping test will be announced on Saturday.

The analysis of Landis's `B' sample is expected to be done Thursday through Saturday at the Chatenay-Malabry anti-doping lab outside Paris, International Cycling Union (UCI) spokesman Enrico Carpani said on Tuesday.

Landis tested positive for an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone following the 17th stage of the Tour de France, where he staged a remarkable comeback in the Alps to make up for a poor performance the day before.

If the `B' sample is negative, Landis would be cleared. If it is positive, which Landis's lawyers say they expect, he could be stripped of his Tour victory and banned for two years.

The American cyclist has said that his body's natural metabolism — not doping — caused the result, and that he would undergo further tests to prove it.

The New York Times reported on Monday that tests on Landis's "A" sample show some of the testosterone in his system was synthetic, putting his defence into question. The report cited a person at the UCI with knowledge of the result.

UCI president Pat McQuaid said on Tuesday he had not seen the lab findings and could not confirm the report. He said the cycling body had asked the French lab to speed up its analysis.

McQuaid said the uncertainty was not good for the sport.

"The longer it goes until the `B' sample is tested, the more speculation, and the more denial and the more of everything that goes on," he told The Associated Press. — AP

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