Ullrich and Basso banned from Tour de France

[Flyfisher Tom]

Rich,

thanks for that background story link ... didn't know it was that bad between the two ... very interesting.

 

[peter_n]

I just had to watch the last two Alpine stages in their entirety. Both were really riveting and I thought Landis' comeback yesterday was just unbelievable; the stuff of legends. Surely he will be the favorite to win now, he is so good at the TT. But with this Tour who knows?

 

[John Camp]

The only problem with waiting for the time trial, even if you're good at it, is that anything can happen; Landis even showed up late for the first one. And remember Ullrich last year, trying to catch Armstrong, taking that long nasty slide into the bales of hay? I still think letting Periero take out 30 minutes in that stage in the Pyrenees was a mistake. I don't think you can safely relax on the tour, and I think Landis and his team were a little too sanguine about it. We'll see tomorrow. It looks like a tough ride.

JC

 

[peter_n]

Well he did enough. Very nice to see the sportsmanship between Pereiro and Landis at the end. That's one of the things I really like about cycling, there is a code of ethics that most adhere to, I only wish that was true of football. From what I saw of it, I didn't think that this was a particularly great Tour but the last week has been truly gripping. I will never forget Landis' epic ride to Morzine. He is a worthy winner!

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

It will be interesting to see if Armstrong arrives to hand the jersey over to the winner.

 

[kbg32]

It would be interesting if Lance called Floyd to congratulate him, or if he is there on the last day into Paris.

 

[peter_n]

I doubt that will happen.

 

[DougK]

Woo hoo! Floyd did it!

 

[peter_n]

Yes he did and I am glad. Although I am sorry the race is over - I didn't see enough of it. Landis seems like a very appealing character, he has this vague air of bemusement as though he can't believe what's happening around him. So very different from Armstrong. I wish him well in his forthcoming operation and recovery. It would be great to see him again next year.

One again I feel compelled to comment on the difference between cycling and football. I know there is a dark side to cycling but it was wonderful again to see the camaraderie among the riders today. Maybe it is because they all suffer so much together but there is also an unspoken code of ethical behavior on the road. So different from the cynicism of football.

 

[jonasv]

say bye bye to that 'epic' ride and the title...

 

[rover]

I just heard the news. Oops 🙁

 

[MelanieC]

"The World Anti-Doping Agency has lowered the limit for the maximum T/E level from 6:1 to 4:1. Some athletes have naturally high levels, and can prove this through a series of tests."

A friend who keeps up with the latest news just forwarded me this.

It is not impossible to believe that a guy capable of winning the TdF might have levels outside population norms. I'm not ready to throw the book at Floyd just yet.

 

[kbg32]

Floyd's "A" sample is positive for testosterone. The wait is now for the testing of the "B" sample. I would be really disappointed if he doped. To be so stupid, knowing that you will be tested for winning that epic stage. My fingers are crossed.......

 

[sbug]

It is a potentially huge blow to cycling, US cycling in particular, but I will wait to hear the results of the 2nd sample before passing judgement.

 

[traveller]

It is a potentially huge blow to cycling, US cycling in particular, but I will wait to hear the results of the 2nd sample before passing judgement.

Could be a near lethal blow. 59 got banned even before the tour started and if Landis is positive there could be severe consequences in sponsoring. In Germany a big TV station commented today that they had signed a contract on a sports event and not on a pharmaceutic fair on wheels.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

say it ain't so ...

 

[peter_n]

I was devastated by this news today. But why would somebody take steroids if they knew they were going to be tested? It doesn't make sense. Levels of testosterone go up during and immediately after athletic performance. Lets wait for sample B.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

Peter,

Question is whether sample B is going to be tested by the same lab.

Armstrong went through this same dilemma after he won last year. With Dick Pound throwing around allegations that Armstrong had failed in one of his prior test samples. An independent Dutch commission exonerated Armstrong.

Cycling is simply a mess. Tests can't always detect drug use. And even when they can, there is no guarantee that they are used properly by the governing authority.

 

[peter_n]

I think the counter-sample is done in a different lab. This lab was the one in Paris that has close ties to L'Équipe, the newspaper that has hounded Armstrong.

Yesterday, the 5 riders from Vinokourov's team Astaná who were dismissed from the Tour before it started were formally cleared by the Spanish courts. They were implicated in the Spanish blood doping scandal, and of course Vinokourov never got to ride in the Tour because half of his team were wrongly disqualified.

 

[Rich Silfver]

Peter, I'm curious - how can a lab have close ties to a newspaper?
Got some links to that information?

(Honestly, just curious)