Observations » Cory

Landis’ sample ‘A’ reveals high levels of testosterone

I rolled back into town this morning and, lo’ and behold, another media storm around a drug scandal in cycling. Am I surprised? A bit. But I’d also be choked if I were Landis — how is he going to get fair treatment of his b-sample with all of his dirty laundry already out on the line?

Poking around quickly, I did get a chuckle out when I read some stuff that was credited to UCI prez Pat McQuaid where he lets everyone know that he’s bummed out by the positive test result:

I will say that I am extremely angry and feel very let down by this. The credibility of the sport is at stake.

Pro cycling as credible? Umm, Pat? The credibility of your sport is already in shambles. C’mon man.

At least Floyd has his good health to fall back on. No, wait….

Related entries - weboblogs

Again, mostly the same stories referenced here, but there are some good little tidbits of info and some fairly strong opinions…

Related stories - MSM

Pretty much the same story from a bunch of different news sources. I’ll update with links to cycling ‘blogs later in the day.

3 Responses to “Landis’ sample ‘A’ reveals high levels of testosterone”

1. Posted by Cory | 12:13 pm, 27 July 2006

Also, notice that I’m not bagging on Landis! The politics surround pro cycling seem so crooked to regular fans like me that I’m skeptical about any announcement from the sport’s governing / meddling bodies.

Why? Because five of the Astana Wurth dudes who were forced out of this year’s Tour were formally cleared by Spanish courts. And you know who was on this team? How pissed would you be if you were Vinokourov and lost a really legitimate shot at the yellow jersey because some suit decided some of your teammates might have been involved in a doping ring, only to find out after the Tour was finished that it was all good.

No harm, no foul, right?

2. Posted by Week 29 » The Biking Hub: Mountain | 9:40 am, 30 July 2006

[…] Oh, and Floyd Landis’ Tour result is under the spotlight after the results from a single test showed a high testosterone : epitestosterone ratio. The results were released prematurely too — how difficult is it for the people involved in this thing to keep their mouths shut for a week? […]

3. Posted by Phonak disbands, Andy Rihs blames Landis » The Biking Hub: Mountain | 9:17 pm, 15 August 2006

[…] For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past month, you should know that Phonak rider Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour de France. After a miraculous Stage 17 victory, Landis won the title after dismantling Oscar Pereiro on the last individual time trial, and then cruising to victory the following day. The American’s joy was shortlived, because his ‘A’ sample revealed a high ratio of testosterone : epitestosterone. When the ‘B’ sample yielded the same result, Landis was fired from Phonak, and the team proceeded on its merry way. Next season, iShares was to take over the sponsorship of the team, but the company bolted after the team’s reputation for doping hovered over its head. […]

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