The doping case against Tour de France champ Floyd Landis appears to be getting thinner and thinner by the day.

The latest twist in the seven-month-old saga?

The controversial French laboratory that handled the Farmersville native's positive drug tests made several errors that, in the past, sank at least one other doping case, according to a published report.

The most critical mistake: the laboratory allowed two technicians to analyze both Landis' initial and validating urine analyses — a violation of international standards, the Los Angeles Times reported. The same technicians cannot analyze both tests.

The disclosure, contained in records the lab turned over to Landis defense lawyers, does not necessarily mean the cyclist will be cleared. But it is the strongest evidence yet that Landis' case was handled improperly.

To Landis' family and supporters, the news meant that their hometown hero was one step closer to retaining cycling's most prestigious title and clearing his name.

"I've never questioned his innocence," Arlene Landis, Floyd's mother, said this morning. "I'm positive the truth will come out. If not now, then sometime, it will come out."

Mike Farrington of Ephrata, a close friend and early mentor to Landis, said the revelations confirm what many in the cycling community already believe: that the lab made serious errors, and that Landis is, and always was, clean.

"This sheds an awful lot of light on how many mistakes have been made," said Farrington, who owns Green Mountain Cyclery, where Landis hung out as a teenager.

"A lot of individuals who have been following this closely have been saying that almost any one of these mistakes should have made them stop right there," he continued.

"Taken altogether? It's ridiculous. Based on what I've read and you look at what's been shown so far, there is absolutely no way they can do anything but dismiss this," Farrington said.

The 31-year-old cyclist faces a two-year ban and the loss of the tour title because his urine samples after a particularly strong performance on Stage 17 of the race showed a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. A later test also found synthetic testosterone.

The Los Angeles Times, which reviewed the laboratory records turned over to Landis attorneys, found a number of other "procedural" problems that could hurt the case.

Among them, according to the paper:

• A document held by French anti-doping authorities, who have brought a separate case against the cyclist, was altered anonymously after Landis questioned its accuracy. The altered version apparently was certified as "original."
• The lab may have used testing equipment under conditions that violated manufacturer specifications. In addition, the software installed in the machine was at least 10 years old and possibly 20 years old, based on an operating system no longer in use, and was designed for a different piece of equipment.
• The lab possessed documents clearly linking Landis to his sample, a possible violation of anti-doping rules requiring that all samples handled by a testing lab be anonymous.
  

Landis has repeatedly contended that the Stage 17 sample was contaminated. It was the only one of eight urine samples taken during last summer's tour that showed a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone.

In 2005, the lab allowed two technicians to be involved in both urine analyses for Spanish cyclist Inigo Landaluze, resulting in a dismissal of doping charges in December.

Landis had pledged not to ride in this year's Tour — or to race in France at all this year — in exchange for the French anti-doping authorities' decision to wait until the American anti-doping officials decide his case. The American hearing is set for May 14.

Given the revelations about the French lab, however, many in the cycling community wonder whether the French anti-doping authority might drop its case before then.

"I don't think Floyd's going to have any problem winning this," said Farrington. "It's just a question of, how much are they going to drag it out? I'm hoping they drop it. I've known it was a bunch of nonsense since day one."

• CONTACT US: tmurse@LNPnews.com or 481-6021

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