Landis Flunks Drug Test

Floyd Landis, no more the hero.

Long-time reader Jay Kumar passes along this comment: "I guess I should be shocked, but I’m just disappointed."

I'm neither. More thoughts later.

UPDATE: I can't help but point out these words that came out of the mouth of Greg LeMond on Sunday after Landis took to the podium in Paris:

Among the riders who didn't participate in the Tour because they were implicated in a Spanish doping scandal were Jan Ullrich of Germany and Ivan Basso of Italy. The two were among the favourites for the crown.

LeMond said he was happy that Ullrich and Basso didn't compete. "Suddenly, the guys in the background, guys who were probably doubting their own ability to be competitive, were able to come to the fore. That's very encouraging."

LeMond had nothing but praise for Landis. "He was one of my favourites before the race," he said. "He's clean, and what's more, he's a great guy."

I wonder how LeMond is feeling today? Don't forget that LeMond has been hyper-critical of Lance Armstrong for a number of years now. If a former champion like him can't tell when somebody is doping, it's hard to trust his judgement when it comes to Armstrong.

Here's somebody else who has some explaining to do. This report came yesterday from the AP:

While the cyclist who tested positive for doping at the Tour de France won't be identified until backup tests are complete, it does not appear to be any member of USA Cycling -- including champion Floyd Landis.

The International Cycling Union said Wednesday that an unidentified cyclist turned in a positive doping test during the Tour, widening the scandal that gripped this year's race before it began.

His name, team and nationality won't be released until the testing process is completed, including the analysis of a backup sample.

But the sport's governing body did say the rider's team and national federation were notified, as well as national and world anti-doping authorities. USA Cycling has not been contacted by UCI, spokesman Andy Lee said.

Either Mr. Lee was lying, or his bosses were lying to him. Either way, USA Cycling has a huge credibility problem now.

More later, I'm positive (so to speak).

UPDATE: The Moderate Voice is unhappy:

He tested positive for this performance-enhancing drug after the 17th stage of this year's Tour de France: that's the one he won in such a magnificent manner.

This is unbelievable. If the contra-expertise proves this to be true, he should be suspended for years and years as far as I am concerned.

This post would develop into a tremendous rant if I let it happen, so I'll keep it short.

If true: It's an absolute disgrace and with that, I'm putting it extremely mildly.

As far as I know, this will mean that Pereiro will be named the winner of this year's Tour, but I'm not 100% sure.

My friend Rob Visconti picks it up there:

If the tests show that Landis cheated, he should be disqualified and Oscar Pereiro should be declared the winner.

Well, unless he tested positive, too--in which case I guess we'd have to go with Andreas Kloden. If he's clean.

Yeah--you get the picture. Paris, we have a problem.

I've been following the subject of steroids pretty closely for a number of years now (I spent a few years weight training with a strength coach here in D.C. and talked about the subject with him extensively), and I never cease to be amazed at the level of denial that's been exhibited over the years, especially here in the U.S.

Fans continue to demand superhuman feats from athletes. But when we discover that preparing a body to perform like that takes extra-human effort, we gasp in horror and shame. It's time for it to stop.

For some time now, I've believed that the only reason to ban performance enhancing drugs from sport was to protect competitors who wanted to participate without exposing themselves to possible health risks. But after this year's Tour de Farce, it's clear that doping in cycling is so deeply ingrained that transparency and sensible regulation of performance enhancing substances seems like a sensible solution.

UPDATE: Lots of interesting stuff over at Super Rookie's World:

During the festivities last night we had a great time talking about things. Including the Tour and naturally doping came up as a subject. I had a theory early in the Tour that this was as close to a drug free tour as you are going to get. Because all of the major riders were having off days which was an uncommon site the last few years because of the obvious doping. When I first made this theory public Tuffy was one of the first to shoot it down. While I will not go as far to say that they all are doping. I will say that a vast majority of them are and it is killing our sport.

I do believe Floyd Landis was doping that day and the entire tour. I do think that he will be able to beat this rap because of his hip condition and the fact that the test is faulty at best. An article posted over at ErikSaunders.com shows that it is even possible to get a high testosterone count just from consuming beer a few hours before a test. I wish that this is the case. But at what point are we going to continue to accept that it was a faulty test and not a complete drug culture?

I think the drug culture is more than complete.

UPDATE: LeMond is speaking up now:

"I'm devastated and extremely disapointed," LeMond told AFP.

"I can't imagine the disappointment for Floyd and his family. I really did believe Floyd was clean.

"The problem is the sport is corrupt and it corrupts everybody. I still believe it was one of the cleanest Tours ever. But is it 100-percent clean? No.

"You will always find riders who transgress the laws. I really did believe Floyd was not among them, that he was clean. Hopefully, he will be able to step up and tell the truth.

"But I'm encouraged by the UCI, the Tour organisers and labs who together are doing a great job against doping."

Meanwhile, Landis is MIA, and Lance Armstrong is in Iowa ducking the question of the day:

On Thursday, Armstrong was riding in RAGBRAI, an annual bike ride across Iowa that attracts thousands of riders.

At the first break in Sully, Iowa, about 50 miles southeast of Des Moines, Armstrong had little to say at the Coffee Cup Cafe, where he grabbed a slice of coconut cream pie and a big glass of ice water.

When asked about Landis, Armstrong told The Associated Press: "I'm not here to talk about that."

For more on RAGBRAI, which friends tell me is a really cool event, click here. And finally, King Kaufmann finds that some things aren't adding up.

UPDATE: For ESPN.com's Pat Forde, it's the day the music died and American sports fans losing their innocence all rolled up into one:

The bottom line is that almost every athlete in almost every sport could be dirty. And that raises some grim questions:

Who can we cheer with any kind of certainty? What too-good-to-be-true story is legit? Where does hopeful belief end and rampant cynicism begin?

That line gets muddier every day, with every discouraging story.

Whatever.

UPDATE: I just watched an interview on PTI with ESPN cycling analyst John Eustice. He thinks Landis is going to beat the rap, and that he'll find a strong advocate in former teammate Lance Armstrong.

Here's an update of an earlier AP wire story on Armstrong's reaction with some additional details. For a recording of a teleconference Landis gave earlier today, click here.

Eric 10:52 AM

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