Your New 2006 Tour de France champion? Not Quite Yet, Oscar

Wait, just hold everything here. The Nation of France, postponing a major confrontation? That's odd. The air was thick with nervous anticipation (and, of course, fermented cheese) today as that country's national doping agency was expected to rule on Floyd Landis and the Urine Sample of Mystery. Black smoke from the chimney would mean Landis would be stripped of the title, white smoke meant we have a brand new Pope.

But it was not to be.

The AFLD had been expected to rule, but agreed to an appeal by Landis to postpone their decision until after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency rules in May, AFLD president Pierre Bordry said. The AFLD will resume its discussion of the case in late June. The decision came after Landis pledged not to race in France in 2007, Bordry said in a statement he read to reporters in Paris.

So anyway, if Landis is drummed out, the new champ is Spaniard Oscar Pereiro Sio, who finished second in the event and has said recently that he already considers himself the winner. We would like to congratulate Mr. Pereiro, and offer him our, um ... wait. Damn it. ...

On January 18, 2007, French newspaper Le Monde reported that Pereiro has also tested positive during the 2006 Tour de France. It is alleged that salbutamol was found in two urine samples, produced after stages 14 (Mont limar — Gap, in which Pereiro finished 26th) and 16 (Bourg-d'Oisans — La Toussuire, 3rd place). In the latter stage, Pereiro retook the yellow jersey from Landis.

Oookay. Moving right along folks, please welcome your 2006 Tour de France winner, Andreas Kl den.

Needless to say, this could go on for awhile.

Landis Opts Out Of Tour, Ruling Delayed [MSNBC] Oscar Pereiro [Wikipedia]