Tour de France

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IrishJoe

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ptrigger said:
what are your thoughts on last years winner? his name eludes me right now. i just dont think you can trust the french, with all the stuff you heard about their hatred towards Lance and how he dominated the sport
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Floyd Landis? Is that who you are talking about?
 
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portlaNDgal

salmonid
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ptrigger said:
what are your thoughts on last years winner? his name eludes me right now. i just dont think you can trust the french, with all the stuff you heard about their hatred towards Lance and how he dominated the sport
Click to expand...

My thoughts on Floyd...

I really want him to be innocent. His comeback on Stage 17 last year was one of the greatest moments in sports history.

To be honest, I don't know what to believe about him. He only tested positive once. I've read his web site and followed his arbitration hearing. Haven't read his book but I will. I do think the lab who ran the test is incompetent, unethical too. They have their own rules to follow under WADA re. confidentiality and not commenting on results before the B sample is tested, and they don't follow them.

The prosecution argues that he took testosterone on that one day. It's fairly well documented that a single dose of testosterone wouldn't help a person produce the results that Landis did on Stage 17. So, either (1) the analysis is wrong; (2) Landis was taking testosterone at lower doses all along, and his doctor got the dosage wrong that day; or (3) he took a large dose on purpose and didn't take the masking agent that day.

There are many problems with anti-doping controls, including controversy on the validity of the tests, and lack of transparency. Athletes are not treated with the same "innocent until proven guilty" view as is found in the criminal justice system. They have to pay for their own defenses, and they have no recourse if they can't afford their own counsel. The burden of proof is lower in an anti-dopiing hearing than a criminal trial. If Landis's case had been heard in a court of law, I think the tests would have been thrown out due to sampling, chain of custody, and protocol errors.

One last thing (I know I'm rambling)...quite a few athletes and their defense teams have criticized some of the tests b/c they haven't been subjected to rigorous scientific review. As a scientist I find this disturbing; anything that has someone's reputation and career riding on it should not be rushed into use without adequate analysis.
 
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