The International Cycling Union has started legal proceedings against disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd Landis.

The American lost his 2006 Tour title after testing positive for testosterone and has launched a series of attacks on cycling personalities since.

"The International Cycling Union (UCI), its current president, Mr Pat McQuaid, and one of its former presidents, Mr Hein Verbruggen, have lodged a case in the Swiss courts against Mr Floyd Landis regarding repeated, serious attacks against their characters," the Switzerland-based UCI said in a statement.

"By this step, made necessary by numerous unacceptable public statements by Mr Landis, the UCI is seeking to defend the integrity of the cycling movement as a whole against the accusations of a rider who, by breaching the anti-doping rules, caused cycling serious harm."

Reuters