Why is anyone surprised that the winner of the premier event, in the dirtiest doping sport in history, failed a drug test?
To be surprised that Tour de France winner Floyd Landis failed a drug test means that you’d have to be completely ignorant, completely unaware or completely naïve with regard to the history of cycling.…
Article comments
26 - sal m
here's a great article that talks about the phonak team's history of drug problems...the best quote comes from the owner of the team who says, "Where theres money, there's doping."
SLAM! Sports
27 - GDN
I have always been amazed by the apparent belief of athletes in performance enhancing drugs. I would be obliged if one of your knowledgeable contributors could point me towards the published, scientifically controlled studies, that attest to their efficacy. But then, man is the only animal that uses drugs and his belief in them is not necessarily based on evidence.
Steven Ungerleider, described by Lance Williams on SFGate.com as "an Oregon doping expert", is quoted as stating that "The result is a bit of a mystery because testosterone is not the drug of choice for cyclists ... typically testosterone derivatives are used in a long-term cycle - you use them off and on to build lean muscle mass". Retired Penn State U. Prof. Charles Yesalis appears to concur and is similarly quoted as saying that "Testosterone can help you recover, but I don't think it could make a meaningful difference in a week."
Again, Dr. Gary Wadler, a World Anti-Doping Agency member, is reported by Lindsay Tanner, AP Medical Writer, as expressing some puzzlement. In light of the previously reported normal tests, the one-time use of testosterone could not possibly have an effect on his remarkable performance on the penultimate day of the Tour.
Blood testosterone levels fluctuate during the day and can double in level in samples taken every 20 minutes under research conditions. The highest level in such a study was taken at about 4.00 p.m. If, as I imagine, urine sample levels are related to blood levels, and if samples are taken at the end of the Tour de France when significant dehydration may elevate those levels in a manner or degree that differs between testosterone and epitestosterone, then we would be diving headfirst into a bucket of worms when we depend on test/epitest ratios. But I am becoming unreasonably technical.
If he did it, take Testosterone on the final day, it is possible that your final comment (in your initial posting)- "It's the athletes, stupid" should be amended to "It's the stupid athletes!"
28 - sal m
GDN:
published, scientifically controlled studies that deal with the use of testosterone and other drugs - accurately and inaccurately decribed as steroids - for performance enhancement on the scale desired by eliet athletes don't exist.
the reason for this is that legit medical science could never subject people to the unknowns and the risks that would be required to study these substances in the same manner in which the athletes use them.
athletes stack these drugs - use more than one drug at a time - and take dosages well beyond the prescribed limits for well beyond the normal duration. athletes also take drugs that are not approved for use in humans, or in the case of the athletes involved with the balco scandal, took drugs that were never available on the open market.
who knows what landis has done, and for how long he has done it. you actually are NOT being unreasonably technical; there are so many things that landis could have been taking that could have had unknown/unforseen affects.
if the simple - and by simple i in no way mean easy - demands of the tour were responsible for landis' readings, there would be many more riders who tested in this manner.
sometimes it's the athletes, stupid and sometimes it's the stupid athletes.
29 - GDN
Sal, sorry about the repeat submission. I somehow missed my previous one.
There is a lot that I don't understand about drug testing and the Landis and Gatlin stories have driven me to the text books and Google (of all things). I even went to the WADA web site to see what research is being undertaken. It is clear that the scientists are challenged to stay ahead of the cheats, and that is so very sad.
Your column is fascinating. Thanks a lot.
30 - sal m
no problem...if you're interested, check this one out, and thanks for the kind words! blogcritics.org
31 - Ohio Cyclist
sal m - "for what it's worth, i don't believe it, but i hope i'm wrong, the lab screwed up and he gets his apology.
however, history indicates that this probably isn't going to happen."
WOW you strike me as a true AMERICAN cycling fan! Do you remember just a few short years ago when a cyclist named Lance Armstrong was brought up on charges of doping and denied the allegations. Did you write a flamboyant article like this then only to delete it later? Did you know the lab that released those results about Armstrong, which were later found fraudulent and non-conclusive, is the same lab that released these results about Landis? The saddest part is whether there is doping or not, these cyclists seem to get “hung out” to defend themselves when these labs release these results. Even in a case like Armstrong, when all charges are dismissed, the black cloud looms over the accused cyclist the rest of their lives. I think it is a shame. Hey Sal we live in America and it is innocent until proven guilty so I say bring on the results of the B test before you start talking negatively about someone and making cheating accusations. At least wait till the results are final before you go bashing a fellow countryman that brought home victory in the top cycling event in the year. Might save you from digesting abundant amounts of crow later.
32 - sal m
i didn't realize that being an american meant that you blindly support your fellow countrymen and women. and what does living in america have to do with anything?
i suggest that you look up the word "flamboyant" so that in the future you can use the word properly.
a lot of people who just speak without thinking parrot the line about "innocent until proven guilty," and then go on to say that the test results aren't enough evidence. why don't you define "guilty" for us as it pertains to landis?
would evidence of synthetic testosterone be enough or do you require a confession and pictures of landis injesting/injection the banned substances?
if landis' lame and changing defense is enough for you in light of these test results,that's your problem.
it's very easy for anonymous posters to talk crap here, because when you're proven wrong you can just disappear.
33 - lori
I read last night that the first lab test did show synthetic testosterone. When the lab got the greater than 8:1 results, they ran the isotope test and it was positive for synthetic testosterone.
Looks like Landis has some 'splainin' to do.
34 - Craig
I usually hate to be a conspiracy theorist but the Tour officials and the same drug testing lab were caught last year not following testing protocols when they tested left-over B samples from the 1999 Tour in order to help develop the EPO test. L'Equipe magazine, claimed they received these test results and where able to create a paper trail leading to information that stated that Lance Armstrong tested positive of EPO use in 1999.
How would L'Equipe get their hands on this confidential information without help from some European agency trying to discredit an unpopular but very dominate cyclist?
Why would all of Landis' previous tests during the '06 tour be normal and then suddenly an 11:1 epi-test result? This would mean that Landis' either shot himself full of testosterone the night before stage 17 or someone tainted his food and drink or his urine samples where purposfully mishandled.
A one day injection of testosterone would not help a cyclist. Even the slight advantage of more aggression would take weeks of regular use to develop.
The facts of this situation do not add up. Landis may be guilty but I don't think we can let the Tour, the testing labs, and the French media off the hook just yet.
35 - Ohio Cyclist
sal m "would evidence of synthetic testosterone be enough or do you require a confession and pictures of landis injesting/injection the banned substances?"
No to me he is innocent till the B test comes back and says otherwise. It is the way it works in cycling and until the results are out I am not passing judgment on someone whom may or may not be guilty. You are quick to pass judgement when Floyd's US Postal teamates, including Armstrong, have said it would be against his nature to have done something like this as he was very clean when he was with them.
If your going to pass judgment why not pass it against the lab since they have already been proven liers about American Cyclists tests in the past. Remember the case of Armstrong's 1999 frozen sample. They also didn't release the results to the cycling governing body but rather disclosed them to the press first in what was clearly a smear campaign against Armstrong. If I have to side with a fellow countrymnan or a lab in a country that has been bitter ever since America has dominated their race I am siding with Floyd till PROVEN that I should not. If you want to know what being American has to do with the tour then I suggest that you start reading a little Tour history and start with the French press releases post Armstrong's first win in 1999!
36 - sal m
cycling's long history with doping trumps any nationalistic feelings that i may have...especially since landis' story doesn't ring true.
theage.com
37 - Ohio Cyclist
But Armstrongs story did "ring true" and that is the most resent CONCLUSIVE evidence that we have. Personally I think you should have held your opinion till things were final but you put it out there and I am happy to see that at least some people that have replied are skeptical of the testing center until this gets further towards conclusion.
38 - DrLozardo
To clarify one point, testosterone is a steroid (steroid hormone, one of the androgens) and its synthetic derivatives are known as anabolic steroids, but is in a different class of steroids from what are usually referred to as steroids (glucocorticoids such as prednisone, or the hormone cortisol).
I hope Landis ends up with a clean test, as did Armstrong as noted above, but time will tell in this case as in others.
39 - Scott Butki
I'm so disappointed in Landis if this allegation turns out to be true.
40 - Floyd Fan
Why would he take intentionally take testosterone so late in the race? It would not make any sense because it would run the risk of testing positive and testosterone is not especially know for quickly making somebody faster. Taking any mix at stage 16/17 would be pointless. It's more likely that somebody spiked his water bottle to eliminate him from the competition. Let's not forget that he passed drug tests all throughout the race.
41 - Joan Bias
Occam called, and he's got a really really long, scratchy beard. Anobody seen his Razor?
In fact, Floyd removed all testosterone, natural or artificial, from his body before the race, just so no one could accuse him of doping. Still, a tiny, evil Frenchman stole his urine sample and replaced it with a mix of jet fuel, ground-up Flinstones vitamins, and Jason Giambi's cologne.
The only thing that Pennsylvania Dutch hero's urine should test positive for is scrapple and funnel cake batter. An American would never cheat!
42 - sal m
joan:
your invocation of occam is sheer brilliance, and is sure to go over the heads of the servile floyd fans.
occam's friend lex parsimoniae also has left a message on the answering machine at "free landis" headquarters.
43 - Craig
It often happens that the best explanation is much more complicated than the simplest possible explanation because it requires fewer assumptions. In the light of this, the popular rephrasing of the razor - that "The simplest explanation is the best one" - can lead to a gross oversimplification when the word simple is taken at face value. (Wikipedia)
Remember that Occam's Razor just asks that you take the theory that uses the least number of assumptions not the simpliest to understand.
Let's assume that Landis is a professional cycliest that understands how the most common doping programs work. This leads us to assume that Landis would not bother taking a drug that could not possibly help him in a single days time. Two assumptions, Landis is not guilty.
Now let's assume the ASO, Dick Pound, and L'Equipe magazine have been trying to ruin Lance Armstrong's career for the last seven years (Not really an assumption, more like a fact). Let's assume that the best way to get rid of the currrent American athlete that is embarassing the French riders is to get him to test positive for a banned substance. This is really only one assumption, Landis is being framed.
However, I think it is possible to assume that Landis was taking Testosterone for a long time along with taking Epi-testosterone so the ratio of both is within the 4:1 target. Then after stage 16 he is so angry that he has a few drinks and forgets or maybe just doesn't care anymore and does not do the correct epi-testosterone to testosterone correction which causes him to test positive the next day. This theory has the most assumptions yet probably is the most likely.
But I still don't trust the ASO, Dick Pound, or the testing lab. This is not an American thing, I'm sure they would also do the same thing to Ulrich or Basso.
44 - sal m
all of your assumptions are based on incomplete/incorrect information and so your conclusions are faulty.
45 - Ray
I don't believe Landis for one damn second. It's rare for two samples of urine be tested positive for high levels of testosterone. Denial is universal. Thats the only way he can keep from killing himself! He's a damn liar and a cheater. I hope they hang his ass!
46 - Kevin McCarthy
Sal - do some homework. Landis should havebeen teste on the last two stages as the overall leader, What were those results?
47 - sal m
i'd like to be able to find that out, however, in the end the results of the subsequent tests don't matter.
failing one test at any point during the tour disqualifies a rider regardless of how subsequent tests turn out. it's not a two out of three ain't bad proposition.
48 - Kevin McCarthy
Sal - you miss my point....I'm suggesting there's a problem with the testing overall if his subsequent tests were negative. Landis claims all other tests were negative. Very surprising that there is no commentary on this. Hopefully, the samples from all his tests have been preserved so that he can mount a compelling defense. If he doped, he should be busted. But if he's being set up because of poor lab practices or some sort of malfeasance by the lab then they should be busted.
49 - sal m
kevin:
i agree with you...