Monday, April 16, 2007

Monday Roundup

News
The Austin American Statesman's Suzanne Halliburton writes a short piece about today's testing of Floyd Landis' "B" samples from last summer's Tour de France at LNDD, as well as a short description of tonight's FFF Town Hall fund raiser at the Alamo Drafthouse.

News 8 Austin is even shorter.

The International Herald Tribune reports that testing HAS BEGUN on Floyd Landis' "B" samples, from cleared "A", samples, taken during last summer's Tour de France. It is being reported that two experts from each side of the case, the Landis team and USADA, are observing the tests:

"The analyses have indeed begun. USADA and Landis are each represented with two experts," said Pierre Bordry, the head of the French anti-doping agency. "The analyses should last about 10 days."

The results will be sent directly to USADA, Bordry said.


(History buffs are directed to what is the next IHT article, about a WWI anniversary going under-commemorated.)

ESPN.com among many other North American media outlets, have picked up the above AP story from Paris on the testing of Floyd Landis' "B" samples at LNDD.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press says that without Floyd Landis or Lance Armstrong America is searching for its next cycling star, and it may find him during this week's Tour of Georgia which starts this morning.

Macon.com also notes that Floyd Landis' road to winning the Tour de France wound through Georgia with a win there last year.

The CyclingNews gets in on the Tour of Georgia coverage with an interview with Tom Danielson in which he comments on last year's battle on Brasstown Bald with eventual winner Floyd Landis.

The VeloNews also covers the soon to start Tour of Gerogia, but also puts in a paragraph about the FFF fund raising stop in Atlanta on Wednesday April 18th.

Vail Daily's Chris Freud bashes the Teva organizers, Landis, and the media, and is glad Bonds will get booed at Coors Field.

My San Antonio talked with Landis in an article about hips.

Blogs
BillHobbs.com answers the question: "whatever happened to Floyd Landis?" In another entry to his blog he discusses the suing of a blogger in Nashville, TN, apparently not an advisable thing to do!

Sportable has the misconception that closure will be achieved by the testing of the Lamdis "B" samples by LNDD which started today. One thing he has correct is that the amount of time this has taken is deplorable.

Sportswriter.net posts several amusing cartoons depicting various aspects of the recent developments in the Landis case, and is glad HE is not a French lab!

Rant relates the news that the "B" sample testing is being reported, and he feels leaks may insue as soon as they are completed. He also informs us that there was a Tour de France champion who was stripped of his title, over 100 years ago!

Messages not Models keeps it real short, he rode 20 miles with Floyd Landis yesterday, and he doesn't care WHO knows it. He then links back to Hamilton Pool Road's blog where a more extensive report on the event was posted here last night.

Pommi is relating to Floyd Landis' video on the FFF web site in which Floyd says he'd rather be on a bike, so would Pommi. But injury is preventing that at this time. Pommi also mentions the phenomenon of "spam blogs" which seem to be proliferating of late:

Interesting. It seems that what I write is "irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text, along with a large number of links, usually all pointing to a single site". Prior to this post, I had 830 links in my blog, 252 pointing to blogger.com, 323 back to my own blog (via subject links, email links, comment link, and picture links), and TBV being the next with 36 links, out of a total of 70 posts. Yeah, about one link per two posts is quite large, sorry. As far as "repetitive" goes, well, I can't stress often enough that USADA screws Floyd Landis, that USADA screws Floyd Landis, and lastly, that USADA screws Floyd Landis. Is this nonsensical ?

Pommi later creates a rumour that Messrs. Pound and Tygart have their own books coming out June 26, He claims to have a sneak peak at the cover of Mr. Pound's:



My Observations talks about the Duke case, with emphasis on bad reporting by the media, and has this to say about Landis:

I find it utterly amazing that in the media’s eyes a person is guilty before they are found innocence which is completely backward from what our Judicial System is founded on. If you need more examples, please look at the beating in the media that Floyd Landis is receiving even before he has had his hearing on doping charges. I guess the media has a double standard. Their standard an everyone else’s!


Forums
At DPF, rational head comes up with a new theory for the B sample tests: to build a longitudinal T/E case. Since Landis' screening and confirmation tests varied so much, maybe the same thing will happen with those of the other stages, supporting a positive on that, letting them have a case even if the CIR fails. He also pointedly notes that if this is the case, then LNDD might have missed a bunch of other dopers at the tour who passed the screening tests, but would have flunked confirmation tests.

At rec.bicycles.racing, Mark Hickey had a blast at the Austin FFF Town Hall, and conversation ensues.

At Central Texas IC3, Mark Reagan rubs in his ride in the afternoon.

VelocityCycling hypes the Austin Town Hall tonight after enjoing a ride yesterday.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ORG here ....

TBV:

Do we know who the experts are for both sides?

Also, what are the ground rules for the panel's "independent" experts? If they see a mistake or ISO violation, are they to yell "stop" and correct the technician? Or, are to merely note they are doing something wrong and let the flawed testing proceed? And what if they did see/note something wrong, then what? Will Landis get a copy of the independent experts report? Will their be a report?

You probably don't know these answers but I thought I'd askl anyway.

Anonymous said...

1 - Bike
25min - Drive from my house to Bicycle sports shop.
$35 - Ride fee
1 - Autograph of the current embattled TDF Champoin.
1 - 25mile ride with Floyd and about 25-30 other fans.
1 - chance to chat with Floyd and ask, so whats it like wearing Mellow Johnny on the Champ Elysees in the final day of the tour? to which he responds, "its F$%##$ great, doesn't get any better than that."
1 - Chance to talk with him 1 on 1 as we ride through Austin and hear the passion in his voice about his current fight against the flawed science of LNDD and flawed liable prosecution of USADA.

The memory of this time, priceless no matter what the outcome of Floyds case. I also enjoyed talking with Dr. Baker, Mr. Michael Henson and the crew at BSS afterwards.

I'll try to send a report in if i have time to write it all down. I will be going to the presentation tonight as well.

A-town, Tx.

Anonymous said...

It's been six or seven hours since the testing started and still no l'equipe leak with the results. Why the delay?

DBrower said...

The machine was broken?

Probably they are still having dinner.

TBV

Anonymous said...

Notwithstanding the various ADAs' prosecutorial postures, and though their expanded B sample testing could potentially bolster their case, they may in the alternative be seeking results that would provide a rational for dismissing their foundering case and thereby save face and avoid closer scrutiny of their activities. Just a theory; we may soon find out.

Spike Nettles