Report: Landis wants to return to cycling

LONDON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Disgraced former Tour de France winner Floyd Landis plans to return to competitive cycling, the BBC in London reported Thursday.

Landis, an American, was stripped of his 2006 victory after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

His suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency from the Momentum Sports Group cycling team expires on Jan. 30, 2009.

"We are in negotiations for 2009," team director Mike Tamayo told the BBC. "But as of yet we have not signed a contract."

Landis has maintained his innocence since the positive test, blaming mistakes in the testing procedure by the French laboratory for the result, and has battled to clear his name.

He said consultant Paul Scott was excluded from witnessing the tests, in the absence of two USADA experts and said the tests were "yet another in a series of malicious actions by USADA."

Earlier this week, retired seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong said he would enter the 2009 Tour de France.