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Aug. 5, 2006 A decade from now, Floyd Landis will be the answer to this trivia question: Who was the first Tour de France champion to stripped of the title? Right now, Floyd Landis is a man without a team, fired by Phonak after his “B” sample confirmed the results of the “A” sample—that Landis had abnormally high levels of testosterone in his system, and that the source of that testosterone was something artificial. In the time between the results of those two samples, we’ve heard various explanations for what was causing the excessive ratios of testosterone in the blood stream—cortisone shots to ease pain in Landis’ degenerating hip, consumption of beer and whiskey the night before the mountain stage that vaulted him into contention, thyroid medication, Landis’ own metabolism and, most recently, dehydration. There is, of course, the question of why the last urine tests show those excessive ratios of testosterone, while others that Landis took during the earlier stages of the Tour de France checked clean. Was someone trying to set Landis up--slip a mickey into that booze he was drinking, for example—to make it look like he was doping? And if so, did Landis put himself in a position where his judgment and his awareness were clouded to the point that he didn’t notice? Or did Landis just flat out cheat and hope against hope it wouldn’t come to light? I agree with three-time Tour champion Greg LeMond, and many other folks who love sports, that this news is disappointing. I was hoping that the “B” sample would come back negative and exonerate Floyd Landis. I was hoping that one of the feel-good stories of the year wouldn’t turn out to be too good to be true. It remains to be seen what kind of spin Landis’ legal team can put on all this, but it doesn’t look good for him right now. The silver lining in all this, ironically, shines for the moment on seven-time Tour champion, and Landis’ former teammate, Lance Armstrong, who has had to fight doping allegations of his own. With the spotlight on Floyd Landis, the pressure comes off Armstrong for a little while. Unfortunately for Armstrong, this welcome respite will be followed by some more intense heat, because Landis has put the doping issue back front and center in the cycling world. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written over 100 articles for Useless Knowledge. He has also written the unpublished novels The Writer's Nightmare and Santa's Sleigh Is Missing. He works as a business analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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