July 27, 2006
Tour de Fraud???
It seems American Tour de France champion Floyd Landis has been suspended following a positive test for excess levels of testosterone.
Landis is appealing the result, asking for an analysis of his alternate, or "B" sample.The positive test came after stage 17 of the Tour, which saw Landis record an epic victory after struggling on the final climb the day before.
Landis has been suspended pending results of his B sample analysis.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Wednesday that a rider had failed a doping test but would not reveal his name.
I have 3 questions about this:
1) Who the fuck is dumb enough to juice with straight testosterone during an event like this? They draw your blood EVERY DAMN DAY. It's not going to wash out overnight, I assure you. If this is an accurate result, he had to shoot himself the night before stage 17, which featured his "miraculous comeback"....Idiot.
2) Is the French testing lab clean? I don't know how long it usually takes to do one of these tests in a clinical lab environment, but it shouldn't take more than 48 hours. Which is about what it takes in the research lab. Why did it take UCI a WEEK to get the results back? After the way the French have gone after Lance Armstrong (with no success, I might add), doesn't it seem likely that a a jealous Fwenchy might have spiked Floyd's sample? My hope is that the B sample testing will be done at an independent lab.
3) Although it's eminently possible Landis was cheating, what precautions are taken to ensure this isn't a physiological change (how high was the T level, for instance)? If this is a physiological anomaly, the B sample should be equivalently high, but there would be no foul. Are other hormone tests run on the sample to correlate levels?
Developing....
Posted by caltechgirl at July 27, 2006 09:42 AM | TrackBack
Yeah, I don't buy it yet. It just seems way too freaking unlikely. Developing indeed.
Posted by: Deb at July 27, 2006 10:49 AMIs this a good time to turn into a conspiracy theorist?
Posted by: Greta (Hooah Wife) at July 27, 2006 11:17 AMHuh. Well, it will be interesting to see what happens.... Somebody was stupid - that much is clear.
Posted by: Richmond at July 27, 2006 12:58 PMI don't follow you your point 2).
Tour de France is certainly not a competition a French *has* to win. It's an international event. Jealousy is not the point, even if France and Amercica have a love-hate relationship.
Sure, french people are prefering french winners, but that's all.
Consider it as F1 competition, or soccer worldcup... (Germany doesn't hate Italian victory, or at least not because it held in Germany).
No conspiration theory France sneaking USA. It's idiot.
But the lab which analysed Landis blood is one of the most advanced in sport's drugs, leading the drug detection in Cycling.
I didn't think Roids affected you that fast, I thought that over time with a strenuous training regime could you get the "benefits", but taking them the night before an event wouldn't have any affect. Any Doctors in the house?
Posted by: Kaos at July 27, 2006 03:51 PMI've heard (but have no links to verify with) that everyone accused by the A part has been vindicated by the B part. Maybe completely wrong there, but I may not be also.
Posted by: Bill at July 27, 2006 03:59 PM
