Thursday Roundup
News
Bicycling's David L'Heureux revisits the week's developments in the Landis case with a few notable quotes that may bear reiteration. From Maurice Suh and Howard Jacobs who are Landis' lawyers:
"We are concerned that LNDD is fighting for its reputation right now and that the results that came out of this would be adverse and be nothing more than an attempt to validate their initial findings," said Suh.
The most recent round of tests, seven "B" urine samples belonging to Landis, which were marked only by a number, were analyzed alongside several other anonymous samples. According to the AFP and Reuters, testers were looking for the existence of exogenous testosterone, an unnatural form of testosterone different from what normally exists in the male body.
The report in today's edition of L'Equipe said that leaked information showed the existence of the exogenous testosterone. L'Equipe also reported that Landis's representatives were on hand for the testing, but did not say to what extent those experts were or were not allowed access to the testing.
"The source of the leak could have only been the USADA or LNDD," said Landis's lawyer Howard Jacobs. "We intend to ask the arbitration panel to ask these two entities to provide affidavits under oath saying that they were not the source of the leak."
Suh added that for a leak of this nature to exist, testers would have had to know where individual samples came form to begin with, hence tainting the testing process."
The Philadelphia Inquirer blends two of last night's top Landis stories. Firstly, it cites the Bloomberg News piece in which Floyd Landis states that he may be forced to declare bankruptcy due to losses of over $10 million dollars from canceled sponsorships, lost cycling income, and moneys spent on his doping case:
"I didn't do it," Landis said yesterday in an interview with Bloomberg News. "I didn't deserve this, but I'm not just going to accept it as defeat to cut my losses."
The article also makes brief mention of the support Lance Armstrong voiced yesterday for the Landis team's criticism of the LNDD.
Pez covers development in the case, after some actual racing.
Blogs
Velo Swiss thinks that all of the recent doping scandals have taken the shine off the peloton. He mentions that many accused cyclists have come out saying they are innocent and have played the conspiracy card, but then he mentions one really interesting thing. He says there is speculation the Landis camp knew about the positive test results before they were leaked to the press.
Le Societe Des DemonCats discusses the good, bad and ugly in pro cycling at this time. Floyd Landis comes under the heading "bad" and this is due to the inequity with which the Landis observers were treated last week and Sunday of this week at the LNDD.
Proleptic Life want very badly to believe with all his heart in Floyd Landis, and is terribly concerned that the process in which Floyd finds himself is hopelessly flawed:
It now appears that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and the French lab which did the testing are conspiring to make sure Landis can’t clear his name.The USADA and the French lab, Chatenay-Malabry, have retested Landis remaining urine samples and have leaked word that they were also positive. The problem with that is Landis’ contention all along is that the lab in question does shoddy work and messed up the first testing. Landis wanted an independent US lab to do any further testing. That only seems to make sense and I can’t understand why, if the truth is what matters here, the USADA wouldn’t want to do the same thing. After all, if an independent lab tested and it came back positive again that would only strengthen their case against Landis. Now, since they have used the same lab there will always be a question mark over the whole process.
Adamo does NOT condone any doping, but thinks that the agencies who are in charge of keeping sports clean should be at least as clean and accountable as the athletes themselves, the standard of justice should be equal.
Daydreaming wonders why it seems it's just Americans who are being targeted by the anti-doping agencies and why they can't just let it go when a test comes out "negative"?
850 The Buzz Sports Radio's blog gives us the "Rumor and Innuendo" column, in which the Buzz wonders if the bankruptcy that Floyd Landis is contemplating is moral or financial, a real "snark of the day" contender !
The CyclingLogue find's Abt's IHT article sadly true.
[I]f the labs which conduct the tests do so in a dishonorable way, exhibiting obvious bias or anything that could be perceived as lack of neutrality, they need to be punished as well. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - everyone involved in the doping control process must be squeaky frikkin clean or it will never be trusted. And if it’s not trusted, we will continue to have these long, drawn-out legal battles where there’s a question-mark by a winner’s name for years - instead of a situation where someone gets caught and says, “You’re right, I did it” because they know the proof is infallible.
Random Musings amid Mental Chaos wants Floyd Landis to just give it up dude. Seems like more mental chaos than musings happening here.
Random Thoughts on Sports,Work, and Life says that Floyd Landis is crying "witch hunt", again.
Theurbanhermit talks about athletes in big trouble, and thinks tainted pee is a big ol' yawn.
Philadelphia Challenge read about Floyd Landis on RoadBikeRider.com and is glad HE is not being tested for banned substances, specifically TastyKakes and Philly Cheesesteaks.
Lust for Life is rather star struck upon meeting Floyd Landis and George Hincapie at the Tour of Georgia recently, and feels sometimes like he has been in a dream. Floyd probably knows what that feels like too, except for him it's likely been a nightmare.
TheRoadBike.com is impressed that a big name like Lance Armstrong would so vehemently back Floyd Landis, and thinks that Lance's support of Floyd now, after the most recent allegations, is important.
Strider really really REALLY hates cyclists. He thinks they are killers, stalkers, unpleasant people, extremely selfish, and now due to Floyd Landis recent ills, cheaters! He should tell us how he really feels and not be so shy.
Pabaon Sports, judges that cycling fans are still split on whether Floyd Landis cheated or not in the Tour de France last summer. He feels Stage 17 might be too good to be true.
Media
MTBCast presents a mountain biking podcast about Floyd Landis and his plans to compete in the Teva Mountain Games.
Forums
Pretty much all forums, including our comments, are experiencing an influx of newbies who are asking questions old-timers have hashed and rehashed over and over. We advise good nature and patience, as this may be the first time many have been exposed to the deeper substance.
Thought for the Day
Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
-Albert Einstein-
19 comments:
TBV, have you heard if Floyd has received the raw data from the stage 17 tests yet?
~ Cub
Floyd should hire Jack Bauer to take down USADA. Find what's their real agenda, who do they work for.
The Russians?
French?
Saudis?
According to their 2005 Annual report (http://www.usantidoping.org/files/active/who/annual_report_2005.pdf) the USADA is still technically working for the American public through a $7.4 million grant. Nearly $2 million was spent on legal fees, which is almost twice what they spend on education.
Could Jack handle that kind of job? It may be too sticky, even for him. Perhaps Inspector Jacques Clouseau is free? He'd fit right in.
"Pretty much all forums, including our comments, are experiencing an influx of newbies who are asking questions old-timers have hashed and rehashed over and over. We advise good nature and patience, as this may be the first time many have been exposed to the deeper substance."
Four months ago, that was me. Bring 'em on! I imagine the newbie flow will become a flood after May 14, or whenever this hearing from hell actually starts.
TBV, and most of the folks at DPF, are great, as long as you are willing to learn.
I have been reading this since it's inception. I believe I read TBV's first post(s) to "Free Floyd". But despite TBV's considerable effort to educate me (and anyone else interested), I still come up short in believing that I understand what has/is or will happen.
What an utter waste of time this has all been. It tells me that we do not pick our concerns. We are lead by them.
Anon 9:58, I haven't heard anything. I kinda doubt it, because I'm paranoid about things like this, but I am completely uninformed about it.
TBV
So what happens after Floyd is found guilty? He mounts an appeal? And what happens when he loses that one? When will he shut up about it?
To Anon 1:53
You assume too much. Nothing is lost yet, despite the USADA bag of dirty tricks.
As to shutting up, this is still America and he has a constitutional right to seek redress for wrongs committed against him. If you don't like hearing his greivances, this is probably the wrong forum for you. Try something easier to follow. http://pbskids.org/sesame/
kre
Aren't you assuming that he HAS had wrongs committed against him, as opposed to committing the wrongs against others? Pretty much all the evidence is stacked towards the latter, despite what his PR campaign (and his PR-by-proxy following on the internet) seem to argue.
But hey, free speech! And if you don't like hearing it, go watch Sesame Street. Awesome! Go USA!
ya know, ya got to love all the newbies that haven't been paying attention, reading the facts laid before us for the past 9 months. They come hear and post assuming it's Just PR to press shenanigans by landis. very humorous. As Amos Bronson Alcott once said, "to be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant."
A-town, Tx.
Be nice.
These folks reflect the general public that needs to become informed. For many, that will include an awkward realization their first impressions may have been incorrect. It's not helpful to make that moment more difficult.
TBV
I have another question: How many people here think OJ is innocent?
What's with all this sudden "newbie" discourse around here? I've been reading this site since it started, I just haven't bought any of it. Given the comments in response to my previous two posts I'm not feeling any more convinced: "Go watch Sesame Street" and "You're new and ignorant". Man, this objective investigation stuff is obviously easier than it sounds.
Anonymous 4:23: I think the answer to your question would be, "Not many." But that's just a WAG (wild-arsed guess) on my part.
- Rant
Anon, tolerance is a beautiful thing, and that's part of the beauty of living in America, so is access to information and the ability to decide how one feels. But telling someone to go watch Sesame Street obviously does no good either. Free speech was mentioned above and that's what all of this is based on. We do have the right to free speech and free thought, and most especially our own opinions. No one has to believe anything, it's America after all. But, no one should be compelled to remain silent either, and that includes Floyd Landis.
Trislax here: A few thoughts given the recent spike in interest in this case. First, patience with "newbies" is critical, as TBV says and all of us know, since i have tried to sift through Duckstrap's stuff and get brainfreeze as a result. Still, that doesn't stop me from considering his points. Second, as Anon states, free speech is critical too, and dissention only helps strengthen conviction. I think the pbs comments are due to the proponderance of mitigating evidence that Landis is not getting a fair "innocent until proven guilty" shake, as we would all wish, nay expect, from our country and our tax dollars. Regardless of guilt or innocence, it is the process that is now the focus, and if you think it is fair, then this is indeed the wrong site to visit. Just my opinion. Keep it up, TBV!
Why do so many people want so desperately for Landis to be innocent?
Trislax again: I can't/won't speak for anyone other than myself, but for me, it is not that I want Landis to be innocent. Instead, after following this since stage 17, I feel he is not getting a fair trial. If he is guilty, he is guilty, but it feels like the agencies involved are trying to screw him, not judge the merits of his case. If you read the slideshows, then you have to be asking yourself, would I accept this failure of procedure if MY neck was on the line? Maybe he did, maybe he didn't dope, but the process is failing him and every other athlete at the moment. Again, my opinion. Thank god we all get to have one, huh!
"anonymous 5:08" asks "Why do so many people want so desperately for Landis to be innocent?"
What I desperately want is for the final result of the entire process to be definitive and fair.
In the absence of any accountability or oversight the antidoping agencies have shown themselves to be far more interested in maintaining their winning streak than in accuracy.
What possible defense is there for the decision to have all additional B samples tested at one lab instead of splitting them and having two labs conduct the tests?
Lord Acton observed "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." The antidoping agencies are demonstrating the truth of that statement, while mudding the very results that they should be dedicated to achieving.
The end result of a doping investigation should be a clear answer, as unambiguous as possible, not another "win" for the anti-doping scorecard.
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