Swiss cycling chief Lorenz Schlaefli said Thursday that he was likely to halt anti-doping proceedings against former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich next month unless new evidence comes through.

Schlaefli said he was not able to use existing evidence received from the legal probe into the Operación Puerto doping ring in Spain because the Spanish investigating magistrate had forwarded it on condition that it was not used officially.

"Since these documents cannot be used, there's no sense in continuing this process. With these documents, officially we cannot do anything," the director of the Swiss Cycling federation explained.

However, Schlaefli emphasized that the procedure could be reopened if other evidence comes through.

"It's not finished afterwards. This doesn't mean we can't open new proceedings," he said. "If there's something else, it's clear that we can reopen it afterwards."

The disciplinary chamber of the Swiss Olympic Committee's anti-doping commission is aiming to start proceedings against Ullrich in January.

Bernhard Welten, the commission's legal expert, said a month ago that he was aware of difficulties with the Spanish evidence and was waiting for more documents to arrive from Germany in January before opening the two-month disciplinary.

Ullrich, a former Olympic champion who won the Tour's yellow jersey in 1997, was barred from competing in this year's Tour de France.

Documents leaked to the press allege that the German cyclist, who has a Swiss license, was given EPO, steroids and human growth hormone by Madrid doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes, who is accused of running a major doping network.

Ullrich, 32, has protested his innocence and released a statement on his website explaining that he was no longer part of the Spanish investigation.

Schlaefli had already warned that the case was likely to turn into an arduous battle because of the legal complications involved.

He indicated Thursday that he was annoyed at the way it was turning out.

"I find it very trying. I think the whole procedure was done badly, from the beginning in Spain. The information to the press, with those documents, that was badly done," Schlaefli said.

It is also the first time that the Swiss anti-doping commission has dealt with a case from any sport that does not involve a positive doping test.

However, the Swiss are hoping that the successful US anti-doping action in the BALCO case two years ago — the first in the world not to involve a positive test as proof — has set a precedent. - Agence France Presse

Landis applauds Landaluze’s exoneration
Tour de France champion Floyd Landis has applauded Wednesday’s exoneration of a Spanish cyclist who tested positive for testosterone.

Though based on a technicality, the decision to clear Inigo Landaluze is a blow to the UCI, which had appealed the cyclist's earlier exoneration by Spanish authorities to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Landaluze tested positive for testosterone at the 2005 Dauphiné Libéré. The CAS determined, however, that testing at the Chatenay-Malabry lab outside Paris was done improperly.

"The person who conducted the analysis of the 'B' sample was also involved in analysis of the 'A' sample, thus in violation of the international standard," CAS said in a statement.

"The CAS decision ... strengthens my contention that the tests conducted on my sample were handled in an incompetent fashion and analyzed on the basis of flawed science," Landis said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "The track record of scientific misconduct at Chatenay-Malabry seems to grow by the day."

Landis denies doping and plans to contest the results during an arbitration hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. If found guilty, he would be formally stripped of the title and face a two-year ban.

British cycling warns implicated riders to stay away from Tour
The head of British cycling's governing body wants riders involved in current doping investigations to stay away from the start of next year's Tour de France in London.

"This will be a historic event, in the heart of one of the world's great cities, a fantastic opportunity for our sport," British Cycling president Brian Cookson said. "We really do not want to see this tarnished by a repeat of the doping scandals of 2006, so, frankly, we urge all those with involvement in various investigations to stay away."

The 94th edition of the Tour will begin in London on July 7.

American rider Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour but tested positive for skewed testosterone-epitestosterone levels. He is contesting the finding.

Pre-Tour favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso were left out of last year's event after their names turned up on a list of 58 cyclists who allegedly had contact with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, the doctor at the center of the Spanish doping probe called Operación Puerto.

Basso since has been cleared by the Italian cycling federation and was signed by Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel team. Ullrich was fired by his team and remains without a team for next season.

Several other cyclists implicated by the Spanish doping scandal have been cleared by their respective federations. No rider has been sanctioned.

Cookson made his comments Wednesday while offering support for UCI president Pat McQuaid, who has come under fire from European cycling federations recently.

"As far as Britain is concerned, we strongly support president McQuaid in his stance on the anti-doping measures, and we understand the legal difficulties encountered in dealing effectively with such matters," Cookson said. "The UCI is our best hope for achieving this and we urge all national federations to support president McQuaid at this time."

Big payday in Abu Dhabi
Vuelta a España promoter Unipublic has joined with Kenzay Event Management to announce plans for a single-day road race with a $1 million payoff for the winner.

The joint promoters promised to release further details of the 2007 Abu Dhabi Cycling Race of Champions in a press conference slated for January 10 in Madrid. The race is tentatively slated for next November in the Arab Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The off-season event could attract an impressive field if promoters can deliver a promised $1 million check to the first-place finisher.