MALIBU, Calif. — With Greg LeMond scheduled to take the witness stand later in the day, Floyd Landis' attorneys used Thursday morning's testimony to portray a lab technician who analyzed his urine as inexperienced, forgetful and incompetent.
Claire Frelat, an analytical chemist who worked on the Tour de France champion's positive backup "B" sample, said she only had been working on carbon-isotope ratio tests for six months when she was given the champion's sample to test for synthetic testosterone.
Landis attorneys also asked her about the testing of Landis' seven negative backup "B" samples. At the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's request, those tests were subjected to carbon-isotope ratio testing last month. Four of the seven returned "abnormal testosterone profiles," and the Landis camp is trying to prove that's a result of mishandled tests.
Frelat acknowledged making some mechanical mistakes that accounted for time gaps and overwritten test results in the computer logs, specifically April 21.
"I remember that morning because there was lots of wasted time," Frelat told attorney Maurice Suh under cross-examination.
Suh asked several questions about her recollection of events from last month, and asked if it was true that Frelat's memory was the only way to account for some of the missing and overwritten data in the computer logs.
"Yes," Frelat said.
The cross-examination was in line with the questions asked Wednesday of Frelat's workmate, Cynthia Mongongu, who tested Landis' positive "A" sample from Stage 17, as well as some of the negative backup "B" samples.
USADA is expected to bring LeMond, a three-time Tour winner, to the stand later in the day. USADA's witness list says LeMond "will testify regarding conversations he had with Respondent and related events."
A three-man arbitration panel hearing nine days of testimony will decide whether to uphold Landis' positive doping test after Stage 17 of last year's Tour. If it does, Landis could face a two-year ban from cycling and become the first person in the 104-year history of the Tour to have his title stripped for a doping offense.