Monday, July 16, 2007

Monday Roundup

News
USADA is announcing a new "pledge" program with the American College of Sports Medicine, calling for ACSM members to affirm that

  1. I will treat or train athletes with the objective of maintaining the integrity of competition and fair play.
  2. I will treat or train every athlete with the utmost care and to the highest level of my professional competence.
  3. I acknowledge that I am aware of international doping control standards as determined by the List of Prohibited Substances and Methods published by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
  4. I will treat athletes only as their medical conditions warrant and will observe the rules of the appropriate anti-doping organizations regarding use of prohibited substances or methods.
  5. I will not advise, aid, or abet any athlete to use prohibited substances or methods of doping.
  6. I will use all means possible to deter doping by athletes I am treating or training.
  7. I will maintain confidentiality of personal medical information and will protect the right of the clean athlete to compete.
  8. I agree that departure from these principles of ethical behavior in treating athletes may result in sanctions by ACSM and will accept those sanctions as determined.

The Orlando Sentinel.com lists a bunch of whining ingrate athletes that the stoic Gary Cooper would despise and you guessed it, Floyd Landis made the list.

The Late Night Lineup
has Floyd Landis scheduled on Last Call with Carson Daly for Thursday July 19.

Star Telegram "Wire Reports"
have Wiggins in fine verbal form:

British rider Bradley Wiggins misses the way Lance Armstrong attacked the mountains.

Armstrong won seven consecutive Tours from 1999-2005 in similar fashion: a strong opening prologue and then a big attack in the hills to take control of the race and knock out his main rivals.

"Since Armstrong's gone, there's no one with any guts," Wiggins said. "It was the same last year when [Floyd] Landis cracked and everyone was like 'Oh... where's Floyd gone?' A couple of days later he's back in the race."


Huh? For good measure, AP via IHT quotes the selfsame Mr. Wiggins comments on Gerdemann's anti-doping message of yesterday:
"I think it's a bit strong," British rider Bradley Wiggins said Sunday. "When you've got old guys in the race who've been through this as well and come out the other side. It's certainly not something I would have said."

Are there some old guys who've reminded him how easy it is to crash? A little brake, and six inches to the left, and down he goes. It doesn't even have to be omerta, it could be just because he's a loudmouth jerk. He sure looked hung out to dry on his break the other day, being neither let go for a win, nor caught to relieve his workload, even when he slowed down.

Blogs
LAist promotes book appearances in
the LA area this week, and Floyd Landis' Borders gig in Pasadena gets a mention.

ScubaGrrl went to the first LA signing, and comes away pro.

Rant had an intriguing "Days in Tour History" piece yesterday.

Active.com/Hildenbrand talks about rest days at the Tour,
At last year's Team Phonak celebration party in Paris, Floyd Landis told me that the hardest he rode during the entire Tour was 470 watts for 10 minutes during the second rest day. He also mentioned, three days before he tested positive, that his numbers on the now infamous Stage 17 were nothing special, just like a normal training day in the mountains. But I digress.

Dan Celebrity is looking to get a new bike, and he is thinking it will not be a "Landis". Not that there is a Landis bike.

Jetset Couriers Blog thinks that no other sport's fans has been as affected by doping as have fans of cycling.

A "Floyd Landis" is competing at the Tour de Berkeley, but a "Michael Rasmussen" is in Yellow. The fix is in -- "Rasmussen" is running the event.

Weekly Green Planet talks about nanotechnology, and manages to drag Landis in because of the nanofibers in the BMC SLC-01.

CyclingFans Anonymous recycles some of Zeigler's last Union Tribune article, dealing with the Instant Message and the tale that Bruyneel dumped a Landis rest-day blood refill down the sink.

Troopers Blog
notes sporting controversies big and small and Floyd Landis' is a big one, but none of them compare to what is going on in F1 now

Martin McCrory is up to a 51 mile ride, and also reading Positively False and Walsh.

Second Most Useless Blog picked up the book and has this to say:
As a writer, he's definitely a hell of a bike rider, but it's a compelling read, and just makes me that much crazier over the way he's being treated. WADA, whether or not Floyd doped, is a criminal organization, and should be disbanded for the way they've conducted themselves, period.

Randy McRanterson posts pix from Lancaster/Landis Supermarket, and asks,
Landis Supermarket has a pharmacy...Coincidence?
You decide.

7 comments:

Cub said...

A heads up for the Seattle area. Floyd will be on KOMO TV's Northwest Afternoon tommorrow. I believe they taped the interview last week when Floyd was here for a book signing.

It could be amusing just because this show is usually about soap operas, makeovers, and other stuff of interest to elderly women. Last week they had a segment titled "What Your Poop Says About You". I didn't record that but I'll try to remember to set the DVR to catch Floyd tomorrow.

Ken (EnvironmentalChemistry.com) said...

I like the new ACSM pledge. It is good to see individuals other than just athletes being made responsible for keeping doping out of sports. The pledge is a step in the right direction.

Unknown said...

I will use all means possible to deter doping by athletes I am treating or training.

"All means possible".

Hmmmm. Think about that.

Are people who take this pledge now obliged to, say, bomb the office of a doctor supplying doping products to athletes? That is certainly possible and would tend to deter doping.

Nancy Toby said...

I missed the part of the pledge where they agree to give up a year of their income if they're found guilty of a doping-related offense....

cat2bike said...

I'll be damned!! They didn't wait for congressional oversite, or even for the Arbs to come in! I wonder if there was any pressure behind the scenes after the hearing. Of course the UCI hasn't changed, but it sounds like maybe the US athletes will get a fairer shake. The USADA doesn't want to look "stupid" with the Olypmics coming up.

nahual said...

I agree that departure from these principles of ethical behavior in treating athletes may result in sanctions by ACSM and will accept those sanctions as determined.

yasa masta, you know bes,

what a screw job for professional athelets. It is time for the riders to form their own LLC and let the local communities offer tax incentives and other offerings for bringing a two week +/- affair to their fair community.

Make it a traded stock and I'll invest.

Eightzero said...

Could this guy's doctor sign this pledge?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007
/more/07/16/bc.run.iaaf.
amputeespri.ap/index.html

As to paragraph 5, recall that Lance Armstrong acknowledged he used EPO....to save his life during his cancer treatment. Armstrong selected treatment specifically to protect his future as an athlete; does this violate paragraph 4?

Paragraph #7 has a built in conflict. What if a doctor that treats 2 patients becomes aware that one is doping? He has to maintain the dopers confidential records (by this pledge and by statute) but must also protect the clean athlete's right to compete. Clean athletes can't compete against dopers, can they?

Paragraph 8 is exactly what Floyd has run against - unilateral determination of violations and penalties. ACSM members would be agreeing to waive any due process rights.