Tour de France cyclist's woes put Elk Grove in bind Athlete signed up for city's big race

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.

Village officials hope that a second test will prove that he played by the rules and guarantee he will be here for the contest.

"We're moving forward, planning on having him ride," said Nick Sepke of Chicago Special Events Management, the company coordinating the race for Elk Grove Village.

"We're still counting on Floyd being there, but whether Floyd comes or not, this race is still going to be huge in the cycling world," said Mayor Craig Johnson.

Though Landis has a degenerating right hip and expects to have hip replacement surgery this year, his representatives assured the village that the "surgery will be well after your race," Johnson said. Between 800 and 1,000 riders are expected to compete in the tour's races, Sepke said. More than $153,000 in cash prizes will be awarded, including a $25,000 first prize for the men's Category 1 event.

"People are coming from Italy, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Poland," as well as from the United States, Sepke said.

The race was announced last winter as part of the village's yearlong celebration of its July 17, 1956, incorporation.

Races are to be held Aug. 12-13 on Elk Grove Boulevard and Tonne Road. August often is a slow month for bike races but because of a solid response organizers expect to expand the event, officials said.

"It has really grown like an explosion in the last month or so," Johnson said.