Floyd Landis in 2004, his final Tour with US Postal Service

(Photo: Chris Henry)

Floyd Landis' accusations of systematic doping in cycling - and by former teammate Lance Armstrong - are spelled out again in a Wall Street Journal article published hours before the start the Tour de France in Rotterdam. The article headlined "Blood Brothers" was posted on the newspaper's website and dated July 3. It is the result of an exclusive interview with Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title after a positive dope test.

It paints a picture of Landis, Armstrong and some other members of the US Postal team receiving performance-enhancing blood transfusions during the 2004 Tour de France, which Armstrong won for the sixth of his seven Tour titles, as well as his own efforts with other cyclists to develop his own doping program after he decamped to Phonak in 2005. A separate story in the newspaper describes Landis' allegation that bicycles provided by Trek were sold, rather than given to US Postal team riders, to raise funds for the team's doping program.

Landis, formerly of US Postal and Phonak, caused a sensation in May when he admitted for the first time to doping during his career after years of denial. In making his confession Landis pointed the finger at Armstrong and numerous other cyclists (including Armstrong's current and former teammates Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie) at least one official of the International Cycling Union and former US Postal team manager Johan Bruyneel, now at the helm of Armstrong's current RadioShack team.

Armstrong and Bruyneel have categorically denied all the accusations.

"Three other former US Postal riders told the Journal in interviews that there was doping on the team during the time Mr. Armstrong was its lead rider, and one of them admitted that he himself had doped," the Wall Street Journal said. "Several other riders said they had never observed such activity during their time with the team."

Among Landis' claims are that it was Armstrong who first supplied with with testosterone patches during a 2002 training camp based at Armstrong's residence in St. Moritz. At that time, Landis had been tapped by Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel to ride his first Tour de France. This marked his entry into the world of performance enhancing drugs, and Landis told the Wall Street Journal that when he applied the patches to his stomach later that evening it was the first time he had done something in violation of the rules of cycling. 

Lance Armstrong reiterated his denials of Landis' claims Saturday morning

(Photo: Roberto Bettini)

In Rotterdam Saturday, only hours before the start of the race's opening prologue, the 38-year-old RadioShack team rider once more hit back at Landis's "baseless" claims.

"Today's Wall Street Journal article is full of false accusations and more of the same old news from Floyd Landis, a person with zero credibility and an established pattern of recanting tomorrow what he swears to today," a statement from Armstrong said.

"The article repeats many of Landis's baseless and already-discredited claims against many successful people in cycling, and even includes some newly 

created Landis concoctions."

"Lastly, I have too much work to do during this, my final Tour, and then after my retirement in my continued fight against cancer, to add any attention to this predictable pre-Tour sensationalism," he said.

Landis's claims in May prompted the US authorities to launch a federal investigation led by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) special agent Jeff Novitzky, who led a successful probe into the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative) which produced and supplied designer drugs for Major League Baseball players and athletes.

Race organisers have yet to react to Landis's new claims, however Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme is fully aware of Novitzky's reputation.

"I don't think this fellow does things in half measures... the way I see it, he is a very thorough investigator," Prudhomme said last week.