Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Tuesday Roundup

News
Hip Resurfacing gets a feature in Boulder; minimal Landis hook, but informative. Says that resufacing can't correct length the way replacement can. Floyd had lost an inch, so that raises the question whether the procedure left that unchanged.

Tour route unveiling on Thursday is turning into a pissing exhibition of no-shows and non-invites, says VeloNews.

AP report thatUCI is demanding WADA intervene in Puerto, perhaps to demonstrate that WADA is as toothless as the UCI is when faced with uncooperative federations and law enforcement. Originally noticed in a comment to this post. Also covered by CyclingNews, with expansion including Landis mention.

San Luis Obispo columnist mea culpas her earlier leap to guilty conclusion.

Roadcycling talks aero positions, and calls Landis's wierd.

PodCast
The Bike Show has an interview with Eddy Merckx from UK Cycle 2006 show. [updated] Starts about 24:00. Still riding 7000km a year! On Landis, doesn't want to go into polemic, he's not a doctor. Doesn't know how cycling can end this period of controversy, but hopes it is the last time.

Forums
DPF's PowerPoint Review has a new summary of TE testing. In post #330, Duckstrap finishes off as follows:

5. According to the WADA standard for determination of TE ratio, the identity and quantitation of the putative T and E peaks must be definitively confirmed by at least 2, more likely 3 ions in the mass spectrum (TD2004EAAS, p. 2 and TD1003IDCR, pp 1-2, section on "Mass Spectrometric Detection"). LNDD does not show this information anywhere in this packet, although the corresponding data are clearly displayed in the IRMS test (an entirely different assay). Lack of these confirmatory data is, in my view, more than sufficient to declare the assay results invalid, especially because ...

6. There is evidence of interference in the assay results by one or more unknown substances in the urine blank and low-concentration spiked samples, (compare especially the urine blank sample on USADA 0091 and the blank spiked with 2 ng/mL each of T and E on USADA 0100).
Blogs
FloydLandis.com posts audio/video of Arnie Baker's presentation in San Diego. Haven't heard yet, so I don't know if anything is different. I'll mirror up to archive.org when I get a chance.

Bicycling's Boulder Report follows up, says discussions are going back and forth, that Arnie Baker coined the "Wikipedia defense" phrase, and that Landis will have a harder time claiming miscarriage of justice if he's found culpable. Remains a skeptic of everything:
Landis’ online defense is not the smoking gun in his favor that perhaps was hoped.

There are serious questions about how the test was conducted, but no one has been able to definitively say that the test was flawed or the testers were so sloppy in conducting it that the results should be disregarded.

ScienceFiction Twin revisits the case, and is uncertain of the truth; thinks the process is screwed, and cites the LandisCase wiki for why. Also plugs TBV, so is clearly well-informed.

Neil@Road says "No Landis News Today!" but runs his fave pix.

Crazy John
cites Landis in an article about cheating in general, with titillating illustration.

On The Borderline references Landis in an article prasing Lances' reaction to the new book.

Banshee wonders if anyone cares about the Tour unveiling amid all the other crap going on.

In comments to TBV, FLITM says he and Banshee have made up.


LandisCase Wiki is making progress filling in the site as initially planned.

More help still needed.







Snarky Columnist Dept.

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman faces a four-game suspension for testing positive for steroids, several news organizations reported.

League officials were tipped off when Merriman hit four home runs against Kansas City on Sunday, sprinted to the parking lot in 9.77 seconds, hopped on his bicycle and reached home before you could say Floyd Landis.
(link)
[end]

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

if you know how to download the Arnie Baker preso from the site, let us know. better yet, put it somewhere here. you seem to be a bit more savvy technically! thanks.

Anonymous said...

WADA must intervene in Spanish doping probe: UCI
2006-10-24 12:48 (New York)


GENEVA, Oct 24, 2006 (AFP) - The International Cycling Union
(UCI) cycling's international governing body on Tuesday called on
the World Anti-Doping Agency to intervene in a dispute with Spanish
authorities over the probe into the "Operation Puerto" doping
scandal.
A Spanish judge told the UCI on October 3 that documents from
the his investigation could not be used for disciplinary action by
sporting authorities for now.
"The UCI believes that WADA, which has often invoked its
prominent position in relations between political authorities and
sports bodies, must now assume its responsibilities," the federation
said in a statement.
The UCI said it was counting on the anti-doping agency's support
to pursue disciplinary action against individuals named in the
affair.
Spanish police said they had uncovered a major doping network
run by Madrid-based sports doctor Eufemio Fuentes at the end of May,
allegedly implicating a host of top names in the sport, including
former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich and Italy's Ivan Basso, as
well as team managers.
Some national sports federations have launched disciplinary
probes into doping offences by some cyclists named by Spanish
authorities but they have been hampered by a lack of concrete
evidence.
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) dropped charges against
Basso earlier this month based on the evidence in its hands. The
Tour of Italy winner has denied he had anything to do with the
doping network.
Ullrich, who has also denied doping and any link to the Spanish
investigation, was sacked by his T-Mobile team and barred from this
year's Tour de France.
The Switzerland-based German rider split with the Swiss cycling
federation last week.
In August, the Swiss federation decided in principle to launch a
disciplinary procedure against Ullrich.
However, federation chief Lorenz Schlaefli warned then that
documents received from the UCI were not up to scratch legally and
the procedure could face immense legal problems.
Ullrich's home has also been searched by Swiss police.
UCI chief Pat McQuaid and his counterpart at WADA, Dick Pound,
have often clashed over anti-doping measures.
The UCI had been handing out documents it received from Spain to
national federations.

James said...

Related...but not really...
I'm from St. Louis and I say Rodgers cheated... But they let is slide...so no one else got caught. Woah!, discuss.

from Si.com

"I bet Tony La Russa's pitchers are mad at him for saying anything, because a lot of guys do it, and I'd be surprise if there's a whole staff of guys who don't do it. In fact, I'd say a majority of guys use one of the three -- shaving cream, suntan lotion or pine tar. They can't like him ratting out the other team when everyone does it. Maybe he had to say something because it's the World Series, it's on TV and he probably has to answer to his owner.

"But you'll notice he didn't continue to talk about it, and he instructed his guys not to talk about it. They probably have no interest in catching Rogers because if they do then the umpire is looking at everyone.''

Anonymous said...

And so it begins... Just what does the UCI think it is doing in demanding information from an ongoing criminal investigation? Even the ASO must be getting tired of this noncense. Perhaps that is why they did not invite McQuaid. Just one more example of the absolute mess the controlling parties of professional cycling have created. The arrogance of the UCI and WADA is astounding. To think they can "push" the Spanish authorities into violating their own laws just so the UCI and WADA officials can continue their own personal witch hunt once again shows their belief that they are above the law, or better yet create it. That turns us to the ASO, and their decision to snub the 2006 Tour champion. When the dust settles, and Floyd is exonerated, I just hope cycling fans the world over realize just what an absolute injustice has been done to one of the greatest riders in history. Thank you again Floyd for giving us the most exciting tour in at least 10 years. I look forward to celebrating many victories to come.
Again thanks to TBV for an excellent and committed blog.
Michael Farrington
Green Mountain Cyclery
Ephrata, PA.