THE saga surrounding Floyd Landis, the 2006 Tour de France winner, and his positive test result for testosterone took a bizarre twist yesterday when it emerged that the French authorities are investigating illicit accessing of data at the Châtenay-Malabry French national laboratory in Paris, where the American’s samples were tested.

Unspecified computer hackers are claimed to have sent communications, ostensibly from the laboratory, to the International Olympic Committee, the International Cycling Union and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) expressing doubts over the reliability of testing procedures at Châtenay-Malabry.

According to L’Equipe, the French sports newspaper, an associate of Landis has been identified as sending at least one communication to world sporting bodies discrediting the testing procedures at the laboratory. An official complaint has been lodged with the French police department that investigates computer hacking and fraud by Pierre Bordry, the president of the French anti-doping agency.

The communications, reportedly written in “mediocre” French, point out what are claimed as repeated errors in testing procedures. Christiane Ayotte, the director of the anti-doping laboratory in Montreal, received one of the letters electronically. “It told me that the French lab specialised in repeated errors in antidoping analyses,” she said. “The style was suspect and I was very wary. I warned Wada and my French colleagues.”

Landis criticised the laboratory’s procedures during an appearance on French television on Sunday. “I can’t say that the lab is always a bad lab,” he said. “But I can say that, in this case, they made some mistakes.”

The American, who is recovering from hip surgery, dismissed speculation that testosterone may have been found in his system as a result of a blood transfusion before his decisive stage victory in Morzine. “I can’t defend myself against that because I don’t have any information and I don’t know where this rumour came from,” he said.

Explore More Sport

• Athletics

• Boxing

• Cycling

• Sailing

• US Sport