May 19, 2007 (Malibu, CA) — Floyd Landis is expected to testify at his anti-doping hearing later today (Saturday). It is the first time that the 2006 Tour de France winner will testify since testing positive for synthetic testosterone last summer. Also scheduled to testify tomorrow are Wilhelm Schanzer, PhD, Director of the Institute of Biochemistry of the German Sports University Cologne (by telephone) and Don Catlin, founder of the Olympic Analytical Laboratory, UCLA.

Thursday’s explosive testimony by former TdF winner, Greg LeMond, about his early sexual abuse and harassment by phone riveted media attention, but will probably have little impact on the arbitrators’ final decision that will be based on the science.

Friday’s testimony by low level cycling pro Joe Papp grabbed fewer headlines, but was more damaging to Landis’ case. Papp detailed his use of doping products, including erythropoietin (EPO), human growth hormone (HGH), cortisone, insulin, thyroid hormone, anabolic steroids, amphetamines and synthetic testosterone.

Papp refuted two of the Landis camp’s main arguments – that synthetic testosterone offers no immediate benefit for an endurance athlete and it can be easily detected by doping controls. “It (testosterone) facilitated recovery on a daily basis,” declared Papp, who continued about how important the hormone can be for stage races. Papp explained various ways to use testosterone that minimize the chances of being caught and declared that, while not everyone is doping, many cyclists are. A lighter moment of the proceedings occurred when prosecutors placed a package of ANDROGEL Testosterone Gel on an overhead projector so that the audience could read the product packaging advising that, “used packets should be discarded safely.”

Christiane Ayotte, director of Montreal’s Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique anti-doping laboratory, continued her testimony Friday. Ayotte dismissed the importance of procedural errors committed by employees of the Chantenay-Malabry (LNDD) anti-doping lab in Paris, claiming that the global picture still shows evidence of doping. Landis’ samples showed a testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio of 11:1 when a ratio of 4:1 can be considered a positive test. Defence lawyers may have dented Ayotte’s credibility when she claimed that evidence of doping was visible by “eyeballing” the charts. “Is eyeballing it acceptable?” attorney Howard Jacobs asked, to which Ayotte had to reply, “No.”

Dr. Bruce Goldberger, the defence’s first witness, also reputed much of Ayotte’s testimony. Goldberger, a Professor and Director of Toxicology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, provided the best moment of the day for the Landis camp when he produced a letter from UCLA, asking him to apply for soon-to-retire Don Catlin’s job as director of the Olympic Analytical Laboratory, UCLA. Catlin is a USADA (prosecution) witness.

Parties have agreed that submission of evidence concludes Wednesday, May 23. The date, time and venue of closing arguments will be determined later. Like the hearing, closing arguments will be open to the public.