B Tests come back.....
Well the B tests still show that Floyd Landis used testosterone sometime prior to Stage 17 of the Tour de France. I'm not surprised, just very disappointed. There are a few points to ponder though....
1) The Press threw Floyd under the bus long before the B test came out. Not just the French press either. Sports Illustrated hung Floyd out to dry in the issue that came out the week before the B test results. Used to be in this country 'innocent until proven guilty'.
2) Even if somehow Floyd is found innocent I'm not sure that Pro Cycling can survive this years Tour. Even before the start of the race, favorites Ivan Basso (team CSC) and Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) were dismissed from the race because their names turned up in a 500 page report on doping. Of course Lance Armstrong has been accused time and time again. I've seen message boards where a lot of people have said that they are done watching the sport. Could you ever watch a cycling race and think that everyone was clean? Track and Field? Baseball? And so on......
3) What is the solution to doping? As fast as scientists come out with a test, new drugs and steroids are out that they can't detect. The lure of victory is stronger than morality and the long term health of the athlete. And that is very sad.
4) Again, even if Floyd is somehow proven innocent he will never reap all the rewards that should go to the Tour champion. His team, Phonak, has fired him. The cloud of doubt would keep him from cashing in on endorsement deals in Europe, where the cyclists make their money. The doubt hanging over him would kill any chances he had of making money in the U.S. No Letterman, no Leno. Maybe he gets on Larry King. But that will be about it....
Indeed a sad day. In the arena of sports is there anything left that is pure and innocent?
1) The Press threw Floyd under the bus long before the B test came out. Not just the French press either. Sports Illustrated hung Floyd out to dry in the issue that came out the week before the B test results. Used to be in this country 'innocent until proven guilty'.
2) Even if somehow Floyd is found innocent I'm not sure that Pro Cycling can survive this years Tour. Even before the start of the race, favorites Ivan Basso (team CSC) and Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) were dismissed from the race because their names turned up in a 500 page report on doping. Of course Lance Armstrong has been accused time and time again. I've seen message boards where a lot of people have said that they are done watching the sport. Could you ever watch a cycling race and think that everyone was clean? Track and Field? Baseball? And so on......
3) What is the solution to doping? As fast as scientists come out with a test, new drugs and steroids are out that they can't detect. The lure of victory is stronger than morality and the long term health of the athlete. And that is very sad.
4) Again, even if Floyd is somehow proven innocent he will never reap all the rewards that should go to the Tour champion. His team, Phonak, has fired him. The cloud of doubt would keep him from cashing in on endorsement deals in Europe, where the cyclists make their money. The doubt hanging over him would kill any chances he had of making money in the U.S. No Letterman, no Leno. Maybe he gets on Larry King. But that will be about it....
Indeed a sad day. In the arena of sports is there anything left that is pure and innocent?
posted by eddie @ 8/06/2006 09:16:00 AM
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