Elk Grove Village officials hope Tour de France winner Floyd Landis can come to their birthday party, but it all may depend on his hormone levels.

Landis was expected to compete in the Tour of Elk Grove bicycle races to be held next month as part of the village’s 50th anniversary celebration.

But his participation in the men’s professional Category 1 race Aug. 12 was thrown into doubt this week when a doping test taken during the French tour reportedly showed he had abnormally high levels of testosterone in relation to another hormone, epitestosterone. (more…)

When Floyd Landis rode down the Champs Elysees in Paris on Sunday, he made history by being the third American to win the Tour de France. His victory also brought a sense of urgency to the Floyd Landis Foundation, a not-for-profit organization focused on osteoarthritis research and treatment.

Patrick Sullivan, a Web page designer from Shorewood, rushed to complete an Internet site for the foundation while the Tour was still fresh in people’s minds.

“It was really difficult for Floyd to concentrate on this because he was so focused on the race,” Sullivan said Monday. (more…)

STRASBOURG, France . The Tour de France began Saturday, still reeling from a blood-doping scandal that removed co-favorites Jan Ullrich of Germany and Ivan Basso of Italy from the field on Friday.

Even as the 2,300-mile race started with a short prologue through the cobbled streets of this city, there was little that could be said with certainty about the 93rd edition of the most prestigious cycling race in the world.

Nine riders expected to take part in the prologue, a 4.4-mile jaunt, were absent because of allegations that followed an extension investigation by Spanish police. Now the only sure thing is that the Tour will not end as it has the last seven years, with Lance Armstrong standing triumphant on the Champs-Elysees. (more…)

Floyd Landis doesn’t wear celebrity with the ease of Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France. Landis wasn’t the first American to win what is arguably the most challenging athletic event of all, Greg LeMond accomplishing the feat 20 years ago. Still, the 2006 champion has become a legendary figure, that famous yellow jersey fitting him quite perfectly. (more…)

Back in his hotel room after seeing his overall lead evaporate like an ice cream cone in July, a depressed Floyd Landis rebuilt his energy and redesigned his Tour de France strategy.

Wednesday morning in the cycling race’s mountainous 16th stage, an undernourished Landis looked to have blown his chances, not just relinquishing his advantage but falling more than eight minutes behind new leader Oscar Pereiro of Spain. (more…)