Tour de France

[Alpedhuez55]

Landis is looking great today!!! Pierrero is holding his own so far.

[j6ppc]

First time check:
1 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 19.46
2 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile 0.01
3 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.10
4 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile
5 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner 0.42

[Alpedhuez55]

Originally Posted by j6ppc

First time check:
1 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 19.46
2 Serguei Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile 0.01
3 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 0.10
4 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile
5 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner 0.42

Periero had a great time trial!!! Holding on to second was about the best he could have expected.

What a great tour!!! Best since 1989 by far!!!

[Charles]

Great race! According to the talking heads Landis has won the Tour and has only to take his Victory tour of Paris. I guess that the doping accusations will start to surface now.

[mosesbotbol]

Kloden may set out an attack tomorrow, this race is not over; tradition or not. He only has to gain with mounting an attack.

[steve471]

You can bet Vino would attack tradition be dammed. I also think Klodi should attack as well as Sastre, I certainly would not want to accept a lesser position if attacking might get me a better one.

[steve471]

Bobke is great. His books are great reads!!! He is a funny bastid!!!

He's just as nice and funny in person as you would expect from seeing him on tv and reading his books.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Devil’s Advocate, don’t call me the bad guy, just hinting at the future news articles out of Europe any hour now…

You heard it first on CS, now the news out of Europe:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/07...eut/index.html

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone, the U.S. rider's Phonak team said on Thursday.

"The Phonak Cycling Team was notified yesterday by (world cycling body) the UCI of an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone ratio in the test made on Floyd Landis after stage 17 of the Tour de France," Phonak said in a team statement.

Landis produced a remarkable effort a week ago to win the 17th stage of cycling's showpiece event following a disastrous 16th stage in which he dropped from first to 11th place.

Phonak said Landis would not ride until the matter had been clarified and said that if the B sample analysis confirmed the result of the A sample, the rider would be dismissed.

Phonak added: "The team management and the rider were both totally surprised by this physiological result.

"The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis to prove either that this result has come from a natural process or that this is the result of a mistake."

Landis had earlier pulled out of a race in Denmark on Thursday. He also did not ride in a scheduled race in the Netherlands on Wednesday.

[Jeff]

I don't understand it. Do they really think they won't get tested and found out?

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Jeff

I don't understand it. Do they really think they won't get tested and found out?

Honestly, I think the techniques and standards they use to test these guys is not fair. They are not regular people and hormone, hermacritant levels can be viewed as it would be if you or I were being tested. I sure hope he did not cheat and am expecting him to be cleared. I am gullible though and thought Tyler Hamilton was clean too.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Honestly, I think the techniques and standards they use to test these guys is not fair. They are not regular people and hormone, hermacritant levels can be viewed as it would be if you or I were being tested. I sure hope he did not cheat and am expecting him to be cleared. I am gullible though and thought Tyler Hamilton was clean too.

Tyler Hamilton cheated? Oh crap! I just hope that it turns out to be some sour grapes being spilled by some loser. I agree that those conducting the tests should be comparing hormone levels of professional athletes to their peer group and not to a bunch of couch potatos.

[Alpedhuez55]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Honestly, I think the techniques and standards they use to test these guys is not fair. They are not regular people and hormone, hermacritant levels can be viewed as it would be if you or I were being tested. I sure hope he did not cheat and am expecting him to be cleared. I am gullible though and thought Tyler Hamilton was clean too.

It is hard to say. They give them the benefit od the doubt anto a certain point and give them acceptable levels that are above normal for average people. I thouight the Teest/Epi levels are 2-2.5 for us normal folk and 4.0 for these freaks of nature.

Part of me wants to say the effort he put forth on stage 17 could have caused a higher than normal reading. Or maybe the Cortisone Shots for his hip could have caused a false positive. But my gut tels me, he just got caught.

I tried to give Tyler the benefit of the doubt. He is local. I have met him a few times. He is a nice guy. But once Operation Puerto implicated him, I feel he needs to com clean and take down his team managers and teamates and try to help clean up the sport!!!

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Charles

I agree that those conducting the tests should be comparing hormone levels of professional athletes to their peer group and not to a bunch of couch potatos.

I am assuming that is the case, Alpeduez55 thinks they are already adjusted, which could well be the case.

[Alpedhuez55]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

I am assuming that is the case, Alpeduez55 thinks they are already adjusted, which could well be the case.

Well, there are reports his testoterone level was either normal or low. You wonder if all the the water he drank on the stage could have messed up the results. There are just too many conflicting reports. I think a lot of people including myself may have jumped the gun here.

Of course the damage is done. The test result got more attention than his tour win did. Landis being suspended will be front page news. If Landis is cleared, it will be in a little Side Note. His effort is tainted no matter what. He will not get any endoresements, he is losing out on his appearance money at the post TDF Crits.

Vino's team was cleared and he should have been allowed to race. THey were kicked out of the tour for nothing. What will happen with Ullrich & Basso now???

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Alpedhuez55

Vino's team was cleared and he should have been allowed to race. THey were kicked out of the tour for nothing. What will happen with Ullrich & Basso now???

Vino, Ullrich, Basso and Landis are the biggest names in cycling right now. I would imagine they'll have many offers if all works out. Landis is just suspended at the moment. I am crossing my fingers for all of them. I hope Ullrich or Vino go to Discovery. It's obvious, as I stated in earlier posts that Hincapie is not a leader; a great classics rider, but more a order taker.

Ullrich's career may be done either way, I sure hope that is not the case. Next to Michael Schumacher, he's the biggest name in German sports stars.