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Associated Press 18y

Spanish rider cautious about Landis doping case

VIGO, Spain -- The Spanish cyclist who stands to become Tour
de France champion if Floyd Landis is stripped of the title was in
no mood to celebrate Thursday.

"Should I win the Tour now it would feel like an academic
victory," Oscar Pereiro told The Associated Press. "The way to
celebrate a win is in Paris, otherwise it's just a bureaucratic
win."

Pereiro finished second behind Landis in the Tour, which ended
Sunday.

On Thursday, Landis' Phonak team said the American tested
positive for high levels of testosterone and had been suspended
pending analysis of his backup sample.

If found guilty of doping, Landis likely would lose the title,
with Pereiro moving up to first place.

"While I don't receive a fax confirming a win, I'm not going to
celebrate anything," said Pereiro, who rides for the Caisse
D'Epargne-Illes Balears team. "I have too much respect for Landis
to do otherwise."

Pereiro said it was time to be cautious.

"It hurts a lot, it hurts for Landis and for the sport," he
said. "The sport had just been recovering after what happened
before the Tour began, and this just hurts it when it was beginning
to get over the past."

On the eve of the race, nine riders -- including pre-race
favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso -- were ousted after being
implicated in a Spanish doping investigation.

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