May 13, 2007 (Malibu, CA) — Tomorrow will see the Floyd Landis, controversial winner of the 2006 Tour de France, defend his title against doping charges. The case before the U.S. Anti-Doping Association (USADA) will be heard at Pepperdine University’s law school in Malibu, California. From all reports it should be a lively hearing.

Evidence from the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) shows that Landis’ urine tested positive for artificial testosterone at the 17th stage of the 2006 TdF.

Landis’ defense will attack the French laboratory that did the analysis and, in a big gamble, also attack the very system by which U.S. athletes are judged by the USADA.

“If they lose this case, (the USADA will) cease to exist,” declared Landis recently at a press conference. Landis also contends that the USADA needs big name doping convictions to pay the bills of its $12 million budget. Two lawyers are representing him, including Howard Jacobs, the same lawyer who unsuccessfully represented cyclist Tyler Hamilton (Tinkoff) in a 2004 doping case. Landis has also hired Maurice Suh, a lawyer specializing in government-fraud cases.

In sharp contrast to normal procedures, Landis has also insisted that the case be open to the public, saying that he wants, “as many eyes as possible watching,”

This past Thursday, Landis also claimed that the USADA offered to cut him a deal including “the lightest sentence possible” in return for cooperation to incriminate seven-time TdF winner Lance Armstrong (formerly with Discovery Channel).

If Landis loses his case, he will likely face a two-year suspension and some reports say he could receive a four-year suspension. If Landis wins his case, it will likely be appealed by the USADA, the UCI and by WADA.