Floyd Landis Doped?

[Mybad!]

This sucks. It's getting very difficult to take the sport of cycling seriously. What a shame for the riders who are clean--if there are any.

I agree. I am starting to look at this sport as one big lab experiment. They need to start banning people for life following rigorous and fair testing, if there is such a thing. The only way to clean up the sport.

[CantDog]

Wouldn't the good doctors who conduct these tests and who supposedly knew of his Cortisone treatment ("it was allowed") take these bio-chemical suppositions into account?

Oh come on Tipp. Its a french lab running the test. And we all know there is no such thing as a good french doctor.

I cannot test le samples, I am le tiiiired.

[ICEHOCEY77]

Oh come on Tipp. Its a french lab running the test. And we all know there is no such thing as a good french doctor.

How about good Italian doctors like Michele Ferrari?

[CantDog]

How about good Italian doctors like Michele Ferrari?

He makes cars when he's not administering EPO, so he's okay in my book.

[MassLiberal]

I'm le tiiiired! Priceless!

Probably le tiiired from their grueling three hour work day....

[CantDog]

I'm le tiiiired! Priceless!

Probably le tiiired from their grueling three hour work day....

Hey man, keeping your mistress and wife happy is hard work. Cut them some slack.

[shmerham]

I'm le tiiiired! Priceless!

Probably le tiiired from their grueling three hour work day....

Let's be fair. They work a lot more than three hours a day. They work seven hours a day. ...(including a 2.5 hour lunch).

[The AD]

Let's be fair. They work a lot more than three hours a day. They work seven hours a day. ...(including a 2.5 hour lunch).

Sounds like good work if you can get it.

[cj001f]

Sounds like good work if you can get it.

I heard a certain toulouse company is hiring engineers.

[freshies]

sad, but not shocking. everyone (well, the elite riders) dopes. sad but true. at least UCI seems to be getting serious vs. other US sports (baseball, football, etc) that continue to turn a blind eye/have light penalties. In cycling, if you are accused, you can't ride until proven innocent. Imagine if that was the case in baseball: Bonds would be stalled in his pursuit of Hank, sitting out this entire season...

[qruddick]

I have no idea how this will play out, but John Eustice (ESPN cycling analyst) said that Landis' testosterone levels were low (see article)

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/tdf200...ory?id=2531225

and that simply the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone was too high (read that his epitestosterone was very low). According to this WADA technical document, (see article)

http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/d...ids_aug_04.pdf

when a T/E ratio comes in high that it is often because epitestosterone was too low (and it can be very difficult to measure accurately) and in those cases the level of testosterone should be looked at (which according to Eustice - was low). In addition, apparently they are looking into how his cortisone shots (approved for him) or beer drinking may have impacted his ratios.

At any rate the credibility of his TDF win has been called into question (and there will always be a shred of doubt even if he is cleared by the B sample) so the French press certainly have gotten what they wanted regardless of how this eventually plays out.

But maybe I am wrong about all of this...

(double posted)

[MassLiberal]

I hate the french.

Great Food, shitty people.

(at least Parisiens, rural french people are okay)

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Great Food, shitty people.

No, their food sucks pretty bad too.

But hey - at least they're consistent...

[powder11]

did anyone really think the french would sit back and let another american dominate their tour without smearing the victory in shit?

[cj001f]

did anyone really think the french would sit back and let another american dominate their tour without smearing the victory in shit?

I'm trying to find thought in the jingoism, but can't.

[MassLiberal]

No, their food sucks pretty bad too.

But hey - at least they're consistent...

You don't like French food? It's essentially meat smothered in butter, with butter on top. what's not to like?

(with the exception of songbirds)

[powder11]

I'm trying to find thought in the jingoism, but can't.

let me spell it out for you:

the french are sore losers so they through out some inuendo rumor that Landis is a doper

[f2f]

i'm glad we're blaming the frenchies, it's their fault after all!

[peterslovo]

What the F do the French have to be pissed at with this Tour? I don't buy that argument this time.

The Tour was great this year. Exciting, great sprint finishes, good mountain stages, and I think the French performed pretty well this tour. It was a long shot for one of them to be a real contender - maybe Moreau. But Calzati took a win, Dessel wore the yellow, and Fedrigo took a win. Sure, Dessel was their highest placing and Moreau was disappointing, but shit, it was a great tour for the french (2 top 10 finishers). I could understand that if one of them placed in the top five and was at least close to winning - then they might want to try to run the actual winners off the podium - but that didn't even happen.

[Lurch]

Wouldn't the good doctors who conduct these tests and who supposedly knew of his Cortisone treatment ("it was allowed") take these bio-chemical suppositions into account?

The labs doing the tests do not know which riders the samples came from. Cortisone would not cause a positive test for high testosterone because it is not an anabolic steroid. Also from what I understand he tested positive for an abnormal testosterone to estrogen ratio not high levels of testosterone.

[Lurch]

First off, testosterone is meh on the scale of cycling peformance enhancers. If I was gonna dope I'd sure as shit want some of the good stuff that would actually make me faster, not some steroid that would improve muscle mass and strength. Floyd was also cleared by the UCI to use cortisone to treat his hip injury. Oh yeah, anb fuck the frogs.

First off all single doses of injected testosterone are used to help alleviate exhaustion and would have been of great benefit for Stage 17.

Also none of the doping products make you faster they help you recover/train harder. Stimulants help one overcome exhaustion but they don't make a rider any faster.

[philippeR]

I find all the french blaming rather disturbing. Because I'm french (duh) but also it shows how much some of you don't know shit about cyclism.
may I remind you that :
- there was a T d F before Lance Armstrong
- That no french racer won the Tour since Bernard Hinault (google it), so that we're quite used to it.
- That Indurain (google it, he won quite a few tour before Lance) had been quite scrutinized in his time too.
- That Richard Virenque, the last french rider that may had a chance of victory in the Tour, had his carreer stopped on doping conviction in the late 90's.
- That the Landis story has been revealed by his own team, not by the french sport authorities.
- That it's a french lab, indeed, that tested the sample, and they're doing a great job. maybe you should ask them how to clean base-ball.
- That you should take your heads of your asses and realize that we don't give a shit if an american win the Tour. It had been won by French, belgian, spaniards, italians... and americans.

[flatlander#2]

If this is true, and the French should know this unless they are truly out to hang an American, it will kill the sport ie. revenue stream for America. How many Americans have dumped more loot than any other combined country over there the last eight years? If this enthusiasm dies in America that race will end up like a weekend MS Race. Oh no, we're Europeans we love cycling. Yeah, and you have the ability to support yourselves and your systems without tourism. The entire EU is just an amusement park for wealthier countries to come experience and le tour is one of the attractions. The spirit of the sport is bullshit, you fry an American over this and it's done.

Or it's a further publicity building stunt. We tested and tested and tested and he came up clean so he must be, we thought he might not be, but oui he's a clean machine.

[Buster Highmen]

I find all the french blaming rather disturbing. Because I'm french (duh) but also it shows how much some of you don't know shit about cyclism.
may I remind you that :
- there was a T d F before Lance Armstrong
- That no french racer won the Tour since Bernard Hinault (google it), so that we're quite used to it.
- That Indurain (google it, he won quite a few tour before Lance) had been quite scrutinized in his time too.
- That Richard Virenque, the last french rider that may had a chance of victory in the Tour, had his carreer stopped on doping conviction in the late 90's.
- That the Landis story has been revealed by his own team, not by the french sport authorities.
- That it's a french lab, indeed, that tested the sample, and they're doing a great job. maybe you should ask them how to clean base-ball.
- That you should take your heads of your asses and realize that we don't give a shit if an american win the Tour. It had been won by French, belgian, spaniards, italians... and americans.

Ils (ces posteurs des Etats-Unis) sommes les grandes crapules. Mais ne fait tu pas le grande faux pas ici. Oui, mon Francais suck le weenie grande, mais le nationalisme est le grande mal de notre siecle.

[Lurch]

If this is true, and the French should know this unless they are truly out to hang an American, it will kill the sport ie. revenue stream for America. How many Americans have dumped more loot than any other combined country over there the last eight years? If this enthusiasm dies in America that race will end up like a weekend MS Race. Oh no, we're Europeans we love cycling. Yeah, and you have the ability to support yourselves and your systems without tourism. The entire EU is just an amusement park for wealthier countries to come experience and le tour is one of the attractions. The spirit of the sport is bullshit, you fry an American over this and it's done.

Or it's a further publicity building stunt. We tested and tested and tested and he came up clean so he must be, we thought he might not be, but oui he's a clean machine.

wow just wow, there is so many false statements in there I don't even knwo where to start.