Give Back that Yellow Jersey!

Hey kids, real winners do use drugs!

Floyd Landis has been stripped of his 2006 Tour de France win due to doping:

A three-person arbitration panel ruled 2-1 yesterday that the Murrieta cyclist indeed committed a doping violation by having synthetic testosterone in his body when he dramatically won Stage 17 of the 2006 Tour de France. He becomes the first champion in the race's 105-year history to be stripped of the title for doping, and he has been banned from all sanctioned competition until Jan. 29, 2009….

Spain's Oscar Pereiro now becomes the Tour de France champion 14 months after he rode into Paris in second place behind Landis.

More, including questions about the reliability of the lab at the center of the testing, here.

Past Landisania at reason here.

Comments

[Lance]

"... 14 months after he rode into Paris in second place behind Landis.
Damn those were some good drugs if the guy finished 14 months ahead of second place. Wish I had those in my day

[Randolph Carter]

I heard about this on the radio news today, and there seemed to be a rush to prove who knew the least about steroid use. They were suggesting that he shot testosterone (not any analogues, straight testosterone) while racing up the most difficult part of the course to give him a boost. BULLSHIT.

[Episiarch]

After Lance Armstrong winning so many years in a row the Euros are desparate to knock any American out. Cycling means a hell of a lot to them (unlike most Americans, who go "Tour de France? Is that a car race?"), and they really, really hated Lance. HATED him. They were unable to finger Lance, but Landis they seemed to have gotten.

Whether that's because he actually did something, I have no idea. My feeling is that he did, because if they were going to completely lie about it they would have done it to Armstrong. They must have had something real on Landis. Or maybe they just couldn't take it any more.

It's not like the French have never done this before.

[robc]

The interesting thing to me which I hadnt heard from other sources is that the vote was 2-1. So, apparently is wasnt clear cut to the arbitrators. Makes you wonder about bias. Was the one guy biases and leaning over backwards to not see the evidence or were 1 or 2 of the other guys biased trying to find evidence to strip the title?

While sporting decisions shouldnt be held to a strict legal standard, it is interesting that it was a split decision.

[Seitz]

The interesting thing to me which I hadnt heard from other sources is that the vote was 2-1. So, apparently is wasnt clear cut to the arbitrators.

It has more to do with the system. The governing body chooses an arbitrator, the accused chooses an arbitrator, and one arbitrator is allegedly neutral. The guy Landis chose sided with him. The neutral arbitrator ALWAYS sides with the agency's arbitrator.

What's ridiculous is that the panel decided the lab screwed up the really easy test, but apparently they were competent enough to get it right on the difficult test.

Also, I'd really like to see someone beat the shit out of Dick Pound.

[Warren]

Tour de huh?... *googles*
Bicycling? Fricking bicycling. Who cares.

[Syloson of Samos]

Warren,

Someone apparently does.

Episiarch,

Well, its not like Americans have, never been caught using banned substances in sport.

Anyway, I will note that the panel which decided Landis' fate was made up exclusively of Americans.

So, what do you think of LeMond's testimony?

[de stijl]

Floyd got fingered.

[Minion of URKOBOLD]

the URKOBOLD is behind all of this. Apparently the most dreaded and beloved ?ber- and ur- troll has a thing for bicycles.

(three links)

[Seitz]

Anyway, I will note that the panel which decided Landis' fate was made up exclusively of Americans.

You shouldn't note that, because it's not true.

The Panel was composed of Chairman Patrice M. Brunet (Montreal, Canada), Christopher L. Campbell (Alameda, California) and Professor Richard H. McLaren (London, Canada).

Guess which one wrote the dissenting opinion in favor of freedom!

[VM]

freedom?

[Seitz]

freedom?

I think the guy I quoted was being facetious. I kind of took that part out of context. It's all there in the link.

[VM]

Seitz -
🙂

[robc]

Seitz,

Canada isnt a US state? Huh, when did that happen? Maybe I need to buy a map from Miss South Carolina.

[Episiarch]

Well, its not like Americans have, never been caught using banned substances in sport.

Never said they haven't. My point was that the French have been caught before, very publicly, changing voting to favor their own. Honestly, I think everyone does it a little and I'm not trying to overly single out the French.

In this case, however, Landis' reputation and title are on the line, so if they are just doing it because they are sick of Americans winning their race, that sucks.

But, as I said, if they were going to outright lie they would have done it to Armstrong, so I'm guessing that there is some evidence.

I don't really care that much overall. It's an amazing competition, and those guys are unreal atheletes, but I can't get into it.

[Lamar]

Yay!!! There's no more doping in cycling!! Woo-hoo!

[gorgonzola\'s foil]

robc,

yeah, especially now that $1 USD = $1 CDN!

(I figured with all the goldbugs and anti-fiat currency feelings hereabouts there'd be an H&R posting on dollar parity... not yet? Waiting for peso parity?)

On Landis: at the beginning of the imbroglio, I had his back, but then he (or more to the point, his entourage) didn't act like they were innocent, especially the manager who got up in Greg LeMond's grill with the bizarro world extortion. WTF was that?

Apparently I didn't actually see Floyd Landis in a cyclosportif I participated in a few weeks back, but, well, I guess he was there. He didn't beat the field of interested amateurs, he came in 12th (and I didn't even finish in the top 5 hours...)

http://www.univestgrandprix.com/rides/2007riders.html

[ChrisO]

Anyway, I will note that the panel which decided Landis' fate was made up exclusively of Americans.

However, the lab that did the testing was French, and that's where most of the controversy lies.

After Lance Armstrong winning so many years in a row the Euros are desparate to knock any American out. Cycling means a hell of a lot to them (unlike most Americans, who go "Tour de France? Is that a car race?"), and they really, really hated Lance. HATED him. They were unable to finger Lance, but Landis they seemed to have gotten.

Not unprecedented. When Ford got into Grand Prix auto racing in the 1960s with the GT40, they kicked Ferrari's ass up and down Europe. Which led Enzo Ferrari to do the sporting thing and use his influence to get Ford's engine banned from competition...

[Syloson of Samos]

Episiarch,

My point was that the French have been caught before...

Actually, one French woman (as I recall) was caught doing something untoward.

Again, what do you think of LeMond's testimony?

[Syloson of Samos]

ChrisO,

However, the lab that did the testing was French, and that's where most of the controversy lies.

Well, it isn't suprising that would be where the "controversy" would exist, is it? And not because the lab is a French one.

[Syloson of Samos]

Seitz,

You are right. I assumed that since the current round the proceedings were before the United States Anti-Doping Agency that it was Americans all around.

[ChrisO]

Well, it isn't suprising that would be where the "controversy" would exist, is it? And not because the lab is a French one.

Except that the controversy seems to involve only American cyclists, no? Maybe I just haven't heard about the others. I'm not necessarily saying that the problem is that the lab is in France. However, I have noticed that European institutions often seem to have transparency problems, as well as 'insider dealing.' Is that the case here? I have no idea and plenty of other things to worry about.

Supposedly doping is so prevalent in that sport that a drug-free Tour de France would consist of a couple of fat guys on their old Schwinns...

[Isaac Bartram]

Except that the controversy seems to involve only American cyclists, no?

This year it was a Dane and (I think) an Italian who got kicked out of the race.

[VM]

Except that the controversy seems to involve only American cyclists, no?

and Spanish (Delgado), in the early 90s.

and a German got busted this year, IIRC...

[VM]

d'oh!

[Syloson of Samos]

ChrisO,

No, the entire race (and cycling in general) has been in turmoil for over a decade over a series of escalading banned substances scandals. Indeed, if I recall correctly, for a number of sponsors of the Tour, the Landis issue was the final nail in the coffin and they chose after it to leave the Tour. Which for the Tour is a big deal since sponsorships by corporations are its primary source of revenue.