Cycling: Floyd Landis has already begun the fight to clear his name even before the positive test for excessive levels of testosterone which is likely to lead to the loss of his Tour de France title has been verified.
His B sample has yet to analysed to confirm the result from his A sample, although it would be a huge surprise if there was significant difference between the two.
However, the 30-year-old American appears determined to challenge the evidence which will almost certainly cost him the victory he secured in Paris last weekend, his job and possibly end his career.
Landis has hired Spanish doctor Luis Hernandez, who has helped other riders who returned test results showing high levels of testosterone.
"In hundreds of cases, no-one's ever lost one," Landis said.
Landis gave the positive test after winning stage 17 - his almost miraculous escape across the Alps which saw him reclaim the yellow jersey after apparently slipping out of contention the previous day when he had finished over 10 minutes behind the stage winner.
The whispering started almost immediately and well before the race finished - how could a rider who had seemed on the point of collapse recover sufficiently to secure a race-winning margin less than 24 hours later?
But, in a phone press conference, Landis insisted he was innocent.
Asked if he had even taken performance-enhancing drugs, Landis said: "I'll say no. The problem I have here again is that most of the public has an idea about cycling because of the way things have gone in the past.
"So I'll say no, knowing a lot of people are going to assume I'm guilty before I've had a chance to defend myself."
He added: "All I'm asking for is just that I be given a chance to prove that I'm innocent. Cycling has a traditional way of trying people in the court of public opinion before they ever get a chance to do anything else.
"I can't stop that. But I would like to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, since that's the way we do things in America."
Landis has already been suspended by his team, Phonak, who confirmed that their rider had given a sample which revealed an "unusual" level of testosterone / epitestosterone.