Double Take

On my way to work this morning I saw this dude all decked out in cycling gear pedaling his way down the street next to my office building. On a unicycle.

That's cool and neat and whatnot, but you have to be borderline suicidal to be navigating rush hour traffic in Dallas on a unicycle. Seriously.

Vindicated? Not quite yet.

There's a little bit of good news for ol' Floyd Landis. The lab that performed the urine tests that revealed abnormally high testosterone in Landis's system has admitted to at least one "administrative error" in the handling of the samples. Specifically, there was an incorrect identification number on his backup sample.

This individual mistake doesn't necessarily mean that the sample wasn't his, and it doesn't explain why the original sample tested so high for testosterone. However, it does introduce an element of doubt into the integrity of the testing process.

This post on Landis's blog tells how to access some additional documents that support his position that he didn't take any testosterone. I looked through one presentation that explains how there were also errors with the handling of the original sample, evidence of sample degradation, and inconsistency between repeated tests. A retired physician put together the presentation, but he describes himself as a "long-time Landis coach and advisor," so he may not be completely objective. However, without hearing the lab's defense, it certainly seems like reasonable doubt.

I hope it's true.

Thanks to Holly for the head's up.

I Want to Believe

Things aren't looking good at all for Floyd Landis. His back up sample also tested positive for unusual levels of hormones. For clarification, the test actually detects the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, not absolute levels. Normally, a man has a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio; however, a ratio of up to 4:1 is allowed by cycling authorities. Landis' results: 11:1.

Landis offers a five-pronged explanation to account for these suspicious findings:
1) Dehydration
2) Cortisone he was taking for his necrotic hip
3) Consumption of beer and Jack Daniels
4) Thyroid medication
5) His overwhelming, totally awesome, natural manliness

I am in no position to judge the validity of his defense, but I leave you with this Landis-inspired product from the Onion.

Oh no! Not Floyd!

Breaking news: Floyd Landis has failed a drug test after his sample showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" after his kick-ass performance in stage 17 of the Tour de France. He has been suspended but has requested additional testing of his backup specimen in the hopes of being able to prove that the abnormal results were either caused by natural processes or a mistake.

It's been reported that Landis was pissed off about his poor showing in stage 16, which caused him to lose the yellow jersey and slip into 11th place, and that anger fueled his awesome comeback the next day. Could anger and exertion have caused a rise in testosterone large enough to be detected? I have no idea, but I have to admit that I will feel betrayed if these doping allegations are true. I watch the Tour to marvel at the feats of strength and endurance that human beings are able to accomplish through dedication and determination, not to see the perversion of medical technology and bunch of bike-riding cheaters.

I have my fingers crossed wishing that Landis will be vindicated, but if he's not I hope they throw the book at him.

Girls do it, too.

Sports blogging!

Floyd Landis won the Tour de France on Sunday and is only the 3rd American to do so, putting him in a league with Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. His ride provided plenty of drama from the start. He wasn't even in the start house when it was his turn to begin the prologue as he was dealing with a last minute cut in his tire. He made it off the line about 6 or 7 seconds behind and ended up 9 seconds out of the lead. Later in stage 7 his handlebars broke, and he had to switch bikes in the middle of the stage.

However, in stage 11 he earned the yellow jersey, and hung on to it in stage 12. Although he gave up the maillot jaune in stage 13 to Oscar Pereiro as a tactical move to force another team to take leadership of the race and give Team Phonak a chance to conserve energy for the big climbs.

The strategy paid off as Landis regained the yellow jersey on top of l'Alpe d'Huez at the end of stage 15. This put Landis at a statistical advantage, as 75% percent of riders in the lead on the legendary l'Alpe d'Huez go on to win the race in Paris. (Thanks, Phil Liggett, for that little tidbit.)

Shockingly, Landis "bonked" on the climb to La Toussuire in stage 16. He slipped from 1st to 11th place and lost 8 minutes to the new leader. Pereiro had the yellow jersey back, and there seemed to be no way Landis could regain it.

To everyone's amazement Landis surged ahead on the slopes of stage 17, setting a pace no one could match up inclines as steep as 10%. Landis took the stage nearly 6 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor and only 30 seconds behind Pereiro in the overall standings.

The stage 19 time trial gave Landis an opportunity to use his particular talents as a time-trial specialist, and he clinched the lead, guaranteeing him a victorious finish on the Champs Elysee in Paris.

I'm not particularly a cycling fan, but the super human strength and determination it takes to ride over 2000 miles over 3 weeks through the Pyrenees and the Alps is mind boggling. On my best day of riding ever, after months of training, I barely managed 65 miles through the punishing hills of Oklahoma. I can't think of any other mainstream sporting event that requires the awesome effort put forth by the Tour riders.

Someone at S's work today observed that each American who has won the Tour de France suffered from some serious physical ailment. Greg LeMond won the 1989 Tour with 37 shotgun pellets in his body after a shooting accident. Lance Armstrong was a cancer survivor, and Floyd Landis rode with a necrotic hip bone. The French can't even beat our cripples. How sad.

P.S. The Blogger spell-checker doesn't recognize the word "blogging." Time to update the ol' dictionary, guys.