Michael at The Moderate Voice reports that an earthquake may be underway at the Tour de France.
NOS teletekst now reports (page 668) that the Phonak team has announced that the one who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs was the winner, American Floyd Landis.
He tested positive for testosteron.
He tested positive for this performance enhancing drugs after the 17th stage of this year’s Tour de France: that’s the one he won in such a magnificent manner.
This is unbelievable. If the contra-expertise proves this to be true, he should be suspended for years and years as far as I am concerned.
The T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz, who chased Floyd Landis for much of Landis’s epic stage 17 win, described the experience as like ‘chasing a motorcycle.’ That sort of breakaway performance just doesn’t happen in the modern era of professional cycling; even Lance Armstrong only won individual races by degrees. It is sad to see things turn out this way, but justice will hand Oscar Pereiro this year’s yellow jersey and ban Landis from racing for a good long time.
Mr Furious
Screw him.
The BJ site could use some testosterone or other performance-enhancers today…running pretty slow.
Punchy
I hate to be “that guy”, but…after reading multiple accounts of his “epic” ride, it just seemed all so implausible. After completely bonking the day prior…to so COMPLETELY blow away rider after rider on climb after climb…it just seemed too impossible.
He’s never won the polka-dot jersey…never been known for being exceptional in the hills…I’ll wait until sample B is tested (if it hasnt yet), but this just sucks.
Lance is about to face all those shitty allegations….again.
DougJ
Innocent until proven guilty. Let’s see what the second analylsis says.
Dave Ruddell
What I wonder is, do steroids work that fast? Are they like Roger Ramjet Proton Energy Pills and give an immediate boost, or are they only useful in the mid- to long-term when training? Anyone know more about this?
The Other Steve
testosterone is something which is created naturally in the human body.
How do they know the source?
Steve
Look, unless an American wins, it’s just a bike race.
Andrew
They measure the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, and if the ratio falls out of the normal range, it is considered a “positive test.” Of course, we all have testosterone (even you ladies!).
Advanced steroid use to pass tests includes bringing up epitest levels at various times to pass this ratio test.
Paul Wartenberg
King Kaufman’s article in Salon brings up the fact that Landis is taking cortisone shots (which are legal) for his hip pain, and that the cortisone creates a side effect that boosts testosterone levels much like a steriod. So there is a possibility this was just a side effect that the doctors didn’t realize could come up on the testing.
Also, it just seems so stupid for someone to dope up for a sporting event that gets tests done at each stage, and where the stage leader (which Landis became on that 17th stage) is automatically tested, to get nailed so blatantly. Problem is, a lot of athletes do dope up thinking they won’t get caught, so until further testing is done, and depending on how Landis appeals this, I’m going to remain cynical about this.
KC
Other Steve:
They may not know the source, but I think I might: his testicles.
Pooh
Too early to tell. I’m slightly disappointed, but is anyone really surprised?
Darrell
Good answer! I have a friend who to look at him, he’s pretty average build, not particularly strong now, but he holds a Texas teenage powerlifting record for his weight class.. the reason is because he did steroids like crazy back then. Steroids can make a HUGE difference in performance, and I hate it when the medical community tries to deny or minimize this performance ‘benefit’ of using steroids. Of course, heavy steroid use skyrockets the risk of heart problems, certain cancers, and can make you sterile.. but it definitely can make a enormous difference in strength, speed and endurance.
ed
Tour de Farce?
Pooh
Who is the medical community to argue with Darrell on medical issues?
RDO
Perhaps the high testosterone levels are just in comparison to French levels? Did they calibrate for Americans?
DougJ
To phrase this in Colbertian terms: his American balls were just too big for the Europeans.
Tom in Texas
So the only reason this guy wins the race in the first place is because half the world was eliminated the day the race started for taking steroids, yet TMV finds the news that a cyclist took drugs to win “unbelievable”? All I can say is, aren’t his parents proud? They’re Mennonites, you know.
Tom in Texas
The guy sounds like Captain Renault:
Caleb
heard about this at lunch on ESPN news.
the announcer stated that in every prior test for any athlete in cycling that tested “positive for high testosterone levels” were subsequently cleard upon further testing.
add the cortizone shot thing mentioned above….don’t know what to believe.
stay tuned….if you care.
bud
Testosterone is the proto steroid. All of the “steroid” use is that of “analog” drugs which act on the same receptors.
For those who think that T might account for the big difference in consecutive day performance: no, it can’t. What it does is allow harder training. Training actually breaks down muscle tissue, but your body takes this as a signal and not only replaces whats gone, but adds a little more.If you “overtrain”, you’re breaking down more muscle tissue than the body can replace. Steriods allow more to be replaced. But this is an effect that becomes apparent over weeks or months, not one day. There are drugs – like any of the amphetimine family – which could make that kind of difference, but that’s not what was reported.
The big performance difference can be accounted for easily by simple energy levels – how much carb/sugars were available to be burned. It’s as simple as eating a good meal. Anyone who’s ever participated in any endurance sport can describe “running out of gas”, and can testify as to how quickly your body can recover from that condition.
Krista
They make you impotent too.
I used to date a bodybuilder. Nice to look at, but…
demimondian
Sustained steroid use can also lead to kidney and liver damage, not to mention behavioral anomalies such as hyper-aggressiveness and uncontrollable rage. I’ve always felt that it was rather unfair that females can ingest large doses of estrogen and estrogen homologues with few side effects, but that additional testosterone is pure poison in large quantities.
BTW, Krista…not only can anabolic steroids cause impotence and testicular shriveling — isn’t *that* a nice image, boys? — they directly interfere with testosterone production in both the testes and the adrenal glands, leading to long term feminization.
Aaron Adams
An incredible example of jumping to conclusions in the rush to judgment.
teak111
Good analysis Bud, agree completetly. You can bonk one day and feel great the next in endurnace racing. Also heard the F was a conservative racer, happy to stay in the Peleton and work for the team leader. But at stage 17, Floyd had to risk it all and it paid off. What’s sad here, is that even if Floyd is cleared, his great win is forever tainted and he knows this. Must be crushing.
Steve
Craig Ferguson said last night, “For purposes of late-night comedy, we’re not going to wait for the facts to come in.” I commend his approach.