Late Tuesday Roundup

To read more Landis news from earlier today check out the Early Tuesday Roundup.

News
VeloNews Jason Sumner posts the question, prompted by today's unique nature of the Landis hearings, what is more important:character or science? USADA lawyer Mathew Barnett questioned Landis at length about the Greg LeMond testimony last week, and about the phone call made to LeMond by fired Landis manager Will Geoghegan. After which in an abrupt change of pace the next witness called was Dr. Simon Davis who testified to the conditions he observed at the LNDD during further testing there of Landis "B" samples in April:

While it lacked the salacious punch of the LeMond-Landis-Geoghegan affair, Davis's testimony was potentially far more damaging. He has extensive experience with the equipment used to carry out the testing of Landis's urine samples, and was on hand to watch retesting in April at the French national anti-doping lab.

He claimed what he saw was a litany of errors and misjudgments that tainted the final results beyond any realm of credibility. Lab technicians were moving critical data points, removing other data points, and even adding new ones, "that resulted in readings were much different than original samples."

Testimony is scheduled to conclude tomorrow, but with cross examination of Davis, and perhaps one more rebuttal witness for USADA it is uncertain if there will be time for the closing arguments as well.

Reuters Canada posts the same story about the split testimony today at the Landis hearings. In the morning Landis took the stand to defend his integrity in questioning by USADA lawyer Mathew Barnett. In light of the testimony last week of Greg LeMond and the subsequent fallout from the phone call made to him by former manager Will Geoghegan the session was at times uncomfortable for Landis. In the afternoon science took over and Dr Simon Davis testified about the unfit procedures and equipment he observed at the LNDD, the lab which came up with the Landis positive doping test from last summer's Tour de France.

The CyclingNews reviews the testimony of Floyd Landis and Dr. Simon Davis in the hearings at Pepperdine today.

ESPN prints another Eddie Pells AP piece on the Landis hearings today. Described as part circus, part science, the emphasis for the media will likely be on the "circus", but the arbitration panel will mainly consider the science. Mathew Barnett cross examined Floyd Landis at length this AM trying to portray the cyclist as someone who hangs with the wrong people and makes unwise decisions in order to win. He was also questioned on his choice of cycling team and asked why he would go to Phonak with its history of doping allegations. Hoping to get the hearings back to what they are about, the science, Landis defense attorneys called expert witness Dr. Simon Davis in to testify:

Davis was the expert present at the Chatenay-Malabry lab near Paris who technician Cynthia Mongongu accused of "accosting" her while he observed her run tests of Landis' urine.

Davis' testimony was about what he called shoddy practices at the lab that produced "totally unreliable" results.

Tomorrow will be the last day of testimony and if time allows closing arguments will be presented then. The decision will be made by the panel sometime in the future.


The LA Times' Michael Hiltzik reports on this morning's efforts by USADA lawyer Mathew Barnett to assail Floyd Landis' character for not immediately firing his former manager Will Geoghegan after Geoghegan made a threatening phone call to prosecution witness Greg LeMond last Thursday:

As it happened, the cross-examination today was the best-attended session thus far of the nine-day arbitration hearing, with the hearing room at Pepperdine law school nearly filled, and, arguably, the most anti-climactic. Although Landis in his direct testimony Saturday had denied ever having taken a performance-enhancing substance, USADA attorney Matthew Barnett never touched on that topic. Instead, he focused almost exclusively on the LeMond situation, asking Landis at one point why he had chosen to dress all in black, rather than his customary gray suit and yellow tie, the day of LeMond's appearance.

"Because it was a terrible day," Landis replied. "Not a day to celebrate with a yellow tie." He said he had informed his own lawyers of Geoghegan's call that morning, but they had not had a chance to talk about what to do about it before LeMond mentioned it while testifying that afternoon.

The hearing continued this afternoon with Landis' final defense witness, Dr. Simon Baker, who is an expert in the carbon isotope ratio test.

The San Francisco Chronicle posts an AP piece on this morning's cross examination of cyclist Floyd Landis at the USADA hearings at Pepperdine University. Unfortunately for Landis science once again took a back seat to the drama surrounding Greg LeMond's appearance last Thursday which was preceded by a threatening phone call from Landis' former manager Will Geoghegan. USADA lawyer's grilled Landis on the timing of the revelation to defense lawyers about the call, about his black apparel the day of the LeMond testimony, and about why Geoghegan wasn't fired immediately.The hearing was described as having a "circus like" atmosphere, far from what was expected from the usually science based proceedings. Testimony will continue this afternoon after a lunch break. They also post an update with a review of the good, bad and ugly that was Day 8 of the Landis hearings.

YahooNews posts an AFP piece on this morning's cross examination of Floyd Landis by Mathew Barnett who represents USADA.At times Barnett's questioning centered on the incident last week surrounding Greg LeMond's testimony. More testimony for the defense is expected this afternoon by Dr. Simon Davis

ABC Sport Australia details, in a Reuters reports, the attempts by USADA lawyer Mathew Barnett to discredit Floyd Landis' character this morning in cross examination of his testimony. Dr. Simon Davis, an expert witness for the defense, will testify in the afternoon session of the hearings. The USADA hearings at Pepperdine will end tomorrow with closing arguments.

Blogs
Rant posts his report on this morning's cross examination of Floyd Landis. He feels that USADA is getting their monies's worth with the outside law firm they hired, and much of the questioning was not about the science but revolved around L'Affaire LeMond." Dr.Simon Davis will testify this afternoon in what should be a calmer more sedate session. In his final update of the day, Rant thinks that IRMS expert Simon Davis was a good choice to testify for Team Landis. He may not have hit the ball out of the park yet, but his testimony is crucial to Landis' case.

Life, Liberty and Property is outspoken in the disapproval expressed about Dick Pound, and WADA, among others.

The Raw Story is convinced that some of the fualty science exposed by the Landis defense during the hearings is very disturbing.

My Trickle of Consciousness writes a brilliant blog on greed, vanity, fear, pet food contamination, and how they all apply to each other and cyclists (including Floyd Landis):

Now onto Floyd: I love cyclists, almost to a fault. It is my fettish, it is weird and strange and I admit it. Bibs are hot man. Cyclists epitomize the triangulation of hotness for me: arrogance/ self-involvement, physical fitness and immaturity. Think of it ladies, why wait for someone to convince you they are awesome, when cyclists immediately exude this quality, whether it be true or false. I love the ultimate nonchalance of other’s emotions, time schedules, and the like. Cyclists are easy, the priorities are simple: the training, the food, the rest of it (small details like relationships, “feelings”, jobs, responsibility). That’s an aside. Floyd, wonder what the motivation of doping is?

The First 100 Miles tell us WHY she hates Bicycling magazine, there could be so many reasons.

Ruminations on Life and Cycling thinks that today's defense witness, Simon Davis, may just have pulled that rabbit out of the hat for Floyd.

Peloton Fodder wants us to stick a fork in him, he can't follow and sport which cannibalizes itself each year anymore.

Things I Think About watched the Landis cross examination this morning, and can see why people would find things to dislike about Floyd. But that's not what the case is about, so let's get back to the science.

You Need to Get Real postulates that Floyd Landis employed the "Chewbacca Defense" today in his cross examination.

Osservazionekb thinks that Floyd Fans deserved more than this, truer words...

SoxyBox wonders if everyone who goes into rehab really needs it, then again maybe some people really are in deep trouble.