PARIS -- Dehydration is the latest possible reason offered for Tour de France winner Floyd Landis' elevated testosterone levels.
"Maybe a combination of dehydration, maximum effort," said Jose Maria Buxeda, after testing began Thursday on the cyclist's backup doping sample.
But that defense was flatly rejected by one of the world's top anti-doping officials.
"In 25 years of experience of testing testosterone ... such a huge increase in the level of testosterone cannot be accepted to come from any natural factors," said Prof. Christiane Ayotte, director of Montreal's anti-doping laboratory.
"If dehydration was the case, then marathon runners would be testing positive all the time. Tennis players would be testing positive all the time. Dehydration is a medical condition that requires hospitalization. It has been invoked in the past, but not one case -- to my knowledge -- has been successful in this argument."
Speaking at the Chatenay-Malabry laboratory, which is conducting the analysis, Buxeda said he expects the "B" sample to confirm the original positive result, which showed a testosterone imbalance in a July 20 urine specimen.
The results are expected Saturday.
However, Buxeda contends a second positive sample would not be enough to find Landis guilty. He also seemed to question the validity of the French lab, which is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee.
"I wouldn't say that they know. I would say they can presume. They do not have the certainty," Buxeda said.
By contrast, Landis is "certain" he hasn't ingested banned substances, Buxeda said.
If the "B" sample is positive, the results will be sent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which would handle the case.
If found guilty, Landis would be stripped of the Tour de France title and banned for two years, although the process could take several months to clear any appeals.
Since July 27, when Phonak was notified of the positive doping test, the cyclist and his defense team have offered varying explanations as to why Landis turned up a testosterone-epitestosterone ratio of 11:1 in a July 20 test after he sped his way back into contention after winning the tough Stage 17 of the three-week Tour. That 11:1 ratio is nearly three times above the 4:1 limit.
