After his amazing comeback during the TdF, I was ready to appoint Landis my new hero, since my old hero (Agassi) is retiring. His performance on Stage 17 - riding away from everbody to make up almost eight minutes after bonking and finishing over 10 minutes behind the stage winner the previous day - was one of the most audacious, amazing, jaw-dropping sporting moments of my entire life. We’re talking right up there with Team USA over the Russians in 1980 and Boston over the Yankees in 2004.
If he ruined that special moment for me and a million other cycling fans out there by cheating…
Yeah. They were saying on the news this morning that he was effectively “hiding out” and not showing up for any of his scheduled appearances. That speaks volumes to me. I don’t know if he’s guilty, but if he is, I will have to work hard to stifle the urge to get on a plane to wherever he is and kick him
SQUAH INNA BALLS!
You were disappointed. You were angry. But were you really surprised?
I’m a casual cycling observer at best, but isn’t one of the main reasons Landis won that several of the favorites were suspended at the last moment…for doping? Cycling now edges out track and field as the dirtiest sport out there IMO.
Landis was a favorite. Not the favorite - Basso was the clear favorite to win. But it’s not like Landis wasn’t one of the top names, regardless.
I think Landis has always had a pretty squeaky clean image. I think a lot of people really thought he was definitely one of the ‘clean’ ones. We’ll have to wait for the B-results to come back, of course. And, a fellow cycling friend has emailed me to say that as far as he can tell every athlete who has been accused of having excessive testosterone levels has ultimately been cleared. So there’s hope…
ASSUMING he’s guilty, for the sake of argument, he probably thought he could get away with it because he’s aware of a lot fo other cyclists who have gotten away with it - maybe taking borderline amounts, maybe taking something to mask the drug, I dunno. But I’m sure he thought he’d get away with it because he took advice from someone else who got away with it.
I thought I heard last year in OLN’s coverage that TdF riders had to go to the pee-in-a-cup-trailer immediately upon winning a stage. Anyone know for sure?
I wasn’t a big Floyd fan but I did admire his performance both during and after each the last few stages. Did doping account for his near-miraculous come-back? For the sake of the Tour, I hope these accuasations don’t pan out. (If they do, perhaps Oscar Pereiro, the guy I was cheering, will get the final yellow jersy.)
He’s not a fucking HERO for fucks sake. He’s a goddamn sport star. Heroes are the firemen who ran into the Twin Towers, not some overpaid dugged up media whore.
Yes. However, drugs are usually used some time before an event. On the day of the event traces of the drugs are gone, but not the effect. So they calculate when athletes needs to take drugs and pay a visit shortly thereafter. In cycling, I believe, riders are told when they are about to be tested, and they can take something to mask the drugs.
I know a number of you are thrilled to death to see yet another athelete brought to his knees, but I’m going to wait for the full results to be complete before I start lambasting the man …
Note the test he allegedly failed was after stage 17, which he didn’t win. When you’re wearing yellow, you get tested all the time. Just ask Lance about those early morning knocks on his hotel door-- it wasn’t the maid or some hooker!
Well, I don’t know about that — but, if he did it, I am thrilled to see a cheater brought down to his knees.
That said, I’m in “wait-and-see” mode. I’m pretty frustrated with both the drug testing associations and the cyclists themselves.
I think that cycling (and other sports, specifically baseball, for that matter) should institute a two pronged attack: (a) ALL athletes get tested after ever single competition, and (b) ALL athletes that get caught get banned forever from the sport. That should crack down on things a bit.
I understand that costs are a major concern. But I really think that sports like cycling and baseball need to do something immediately to ensure the integrity of the sport.
Anyways - I was proud of Landis for his comeback, and proud of him for his win. Here’s hoping he didn’t do it.
I don’t believe this is correct. In one of Lance Armstrong’s books, he talks about trying to leave to take his wife to the hospital (to give birth), and the drug people showed up for a sample. He had to make his wife wait while he gave the sample. He stated that refusing to give a sample would result in a ban.
That does not sound like prior notification to me.
Also Bob Roll has mentioned random drug screens.
I could be wrong of course, but I’m pretty sure WADA has been battling with UCI because UCI didn’t do unscheduled visits. Going from your post, it isn’t clear if Armstrong was told he would be tested that day or not - or if it was UCI who did the testing. He had to give a sample right there and then though, that’s for sure.
