Cyclist Landis loses appeal of doping ban

Floyd Landis used the arbitration process as public theater to try to prove a point and regain his reputation.

In the latest attempt that almost certainly will be his last, the anti-doping establishment slapped down the one-time 2006 Tour de France winner once more, ruling Landis didn't play fair, on the bike or in the hearing room.

A three-person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed with a previous panel's decision, ruling Monday that Landis' positive doping test at the Tour two years ago was, indeed, valid.

He will not regain the title he won with a stunning comeback in Stage 17, a rally many thought was too good to be true and that turned out to be fueled by synthetic testosterone.

Thus ended Landis' long, bizarre, very public, multimillion-dollar journey through an arbitration process he claimed is rigged against athletes. As one final insult, CAS also told Landis he must pay $100,000 toward the legal fees of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

"I am saddened by today's decision," Landis said. "I am looking into my legal options and deciding on the best way to proceed."