A Paris appeals court has turned down a request by five-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong asking that a book accusing him of doping include his outright denial of the allegations.
The court upheld a June 21st court decision denying the American's demand for an emergency order against the book published in France called "L.A. Confidential, the secrets of Lance Armstrong."
The book, written by journalists Pierre Ballester and David Walsh, contains statements from a former masseuse for Armstrong's US Postal team who made the doping allegations against the American cyclist.
Armstrong begins his bid for a record-breaking sixth victory in the month-long cycling marathon in neighbouring Belgium on Saturday.
The initial court decision said the accusations in the book "do not necessarily constitute defamation" because of a French law exempting from prosecution certain allegations that were made in good faith or later turned out to be true.
It ordered Armstrong to pay legal costs, a €1,500 fine and a symbolic one euro in damages for faulty procedure.
Earlier today Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc said the Tour will sacrifice riders under suspicion, but not necessarily guilty, of doping if it means avoiding more scandals.
"We're prepared to see riders miss the start despite being innocent. It's a protective measure," Leblanc told Reuters before the race, which starts on Saturday.
"The joy of a new Tour start is being tarnished...with books, films and allegations by people who've turned doping into a trade but are not trying to help us," Leblanc said.
"You spend most of your time and energy having to defend yourself, to explain and convince but I see the decisions made about (France's Cedric) Vasseur, (Italian Danilo) Di Luca and possibly others as a big step.
Italy's Danilo Di Luca was replaced by youngster David Roosli in a goodwill gesture by his Italian team Saeco. Di Luca is among 14 Italian riders charged in a doping probe in Italy. Three other riders involved in the case feature in the Tour starting list.