PARIS (AP) – Floyd Landis could be banned from racing in France for the next two years if the country’s anti-doping agency issues a maximum penalty today for his positive doping test at last year’s Tour de France.

The American cyclist will not attend the hearing, but will be represented by his lawyers, Landis’ spokesman Michael Henson said Wednesday in a conference call.

The lawyers can present arguments to the nine-member panel, which includes French magistrates. The agency’s president, Philippe Bordry, said Landis would receive a fair hearing.

“It’s not because someone is positive that he must be automatically suspended,” Bordry said. “The rights of the defense are very important.”

Under French law, the agency has the right to “sanction by one or two years suspension on French soil,” Bordry said.

That would exclude Landis from this year’s Tour and other events.

After a 2006 Tour de France stage win, Landis’ sample was found to contain elevated testosterone to epitestosterone levels. He risks being the first rider in the 104-year history of the race to be stripped of his title, and Tour director Christian Prudhomme has said the Tour no longer considers him the winner.

Landis has denied any wrongdoing and argues the Chatenay-Malabry laboratory, which carried out the tests, is unreliable.

Henson and Landis’ medical adviser, Arnie Baker, said significant errors were made by the French lab in the transportation, analysis and outcome of Landis’ urine sample. They claimed Landis’ sample was contaminated and said the testing procedures were unreliable.

They also maintained that Landis has been “subject to fundamentally unfair treatment by the anti-doping organizations and international sports federations.”

The Floyd Fairness Fund scheduled a “town-hall style” fundraiser in New York on Wednesday, and Landis was expected to be part of a panel discussion.

Henson said Landis’ defense has cost about $400,000 so far and about $150,000 has been raised via the fund.

Landis’ hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is set for May 14.