Sunday Roundup

News
The Atlanta Journal Constitution previews the Tour of Georgia which starts tomorrow, and gives a small amount of space to promote Floyd Landis' FFF Town Hall to be held in Atlanta on April 18.

The Arizona Republic reports that about 70 people attended the FFF Town Hall in Scottsdale last night which was the latest stop on Floyd Landis' aggressive campaign to bring awareness to the public on just how inefficiently and unfarily the anti doping system functions:

"I can't tell you what happened," Landis said. "I can tell you what testosterone doesn't do, it doesn't make you do what I did in Stage 17. I'll say that with 100 percent certainty."

Today Landis travels to Austin, TX for the "Ride with Floyd in Austin" fund raising event.


VeloNews prints an interview with Tyler Hamilton in which he is asked what he thinks of the ongoing Landis case. Hamilton tells interviewer Jason Sumner that Floyd may have learned from mistakes he made in his own doping case :

VN.COM: How closely do you follow what's going on with Floyd Landis' and his case?

TH: Lately I've fallen a little out of touch because I've been over in Europe. But I follow what's going on. I try to anyway. I haven't spoken to him in a little while.

Initially I called him as an old friend and also I know exactly what he is going through - or at least I think I know what he was going through. We share the same lawyer - Howard Jacobs. I recommended him. And certainly what Howard and I learned through our case, our mistakes, for example not making it public. Floyd is learning from our mistakes. If I could go back, I'd make my case public. That was my biggest mistake

The SunJournal.com asks a quick question: just how is "backup" urine stored?


The Saginaw News thinks sports sections might end up with a runnning feature in a "sports blotter."

Blogs
Hamilton Pool Road was one of 25 who participated in the ride today, and files a really good report, complete with the Lance digression without which no trip to Austin would seem complete.

Rant notes the Duke Lacrosse players have been called Innocent, not merely not-guilty, and makes the evident comparisons. He also notes a rumor that the arbs can't find an expert to oversee USADA's tests at the LNDD, and gives USADA some PR advice: follow your own rules and don't jump at the bait and start taking public potshots at Landis. He also presents a dilemma about the USADA attorneys -- are they incompetent, or evil?

Racejunkie is convinced that USADA wants to somehow expidite the presentation of the 2006 Tour de France crown to Oscar Pereiro:

The Tour de France (2006): apparently conceding that the French lab monkeys screwed up so irretrievably in both the procedural chain of custody and practical results on the Floyd Landis epi/testosterone ratio that they've completely lost any chance of stripping him of the Tour, and aiming it seems to help the French hand the '06 Tour over to Pereiro before the next one hits the road. USADA of all people is asking to re-test the B samples for the days Landis actually tested clean in in the seeming hope they'll belatedly be able to nail him for something. What unmitigated bull!@##, USADA! First, you're missing the point. The lab @#$!%* up. If you can't nail him and he gets to keep the Tour, too bad. Isn't it consolation enough that even if he's actually innocent, you've completely wrecked his name for all time? (And hopefully for Landis, it's consolation enough that no less a luminary than Paul Sherwen believes you.) Second, even if you *are* able to nail him for these samples, it's meaningless. The A samples already tested clean, and you're gonna look like a pack of lying desperate emasculated weasels if you try to claim the B ones are dirty.

Media
The Fred Cast podcast this week covers ,among other things, last week's arbitration decision in the Landis case


Thought for the Day

" Energy and persistence conquer all things."
-Benjamin Franklin-