A decision in Landis case to come by Sept. 23

Arbitrators in the doping case against Tour de France cyclist Floyd Landis said they formally closed the hearing record on Thursday, a procedural step that requires them to issue a ruling within 10 days, or by Sept. 23. That would mark four months since the three-member panel ended a nine-day evidentiary hearing May 23.

The Murrieta cyclist is accused of taking illicit testosterone during his championship performance at the 2006 Tour de France. It was earlier reported that the arbitrators were awaiting a final report from their scientific advisor, Dr. Francesco Botre, director of the World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory in Rome. Landis has denied the accusation, contending that the WADA anti-doping lab in Paris, which tested the Tour de France samples, mishandled his specimens and botched the analysis.

-- Michael Hiltzik