Posted on 07/27/2006 7:35:10 AM PDT by Republicain
Tour de France winner Floyd Landis has given a positive drugs test, according to his Phonak team. The American, who claimed victory in the Tour de France on Sunday, has tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone.
The positive test came after stage 17 of the Tour, which saw Landis record an epic victory after collapsing on the final climb the day before.
Landis has been suspended pending results of his B sample analysis.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Wednesday that a rider had failed a doping test but would not reveal his name.
"The Phonak Cycling Team was notified on Wednesday by 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," said a team statement.
"The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result."
When tested the riders are required to give TWO samples. Landis 'A' sample tested positive for high levels of Testosterone.
Landis now can do 1 of two things :
1. Admit to doping
2. Ask that the 'B' Sample be tested in his presence.
If the 'B' sample comes back normal -- everything is over. If the 'B' sample comes back positive, the rider can then request a full physical examination to prove that the level is "natural", etc etc.
Exactly. What's the baseline for "normal"?
You really don't have to ask that question, after the years of harassment Armstrong tolerated, right?
As an American citizen I could care less about two-bit European "powers".
Testosterone possesses both anabolic and androgenic properties [1]. The synthetic derivates of testosterone are modifications of the hormone designed to enhance the anabolic action while reducing the androgenic effects. However, a derivate performing only the anabolic effects has not yet been synthesized – all anabolic steroids also possess some androgenic activity. Thus the term ‘side effects’ for the unwanted androgenic action is misleading – the effect on primary and secondary sexual characteristics is clearly one of the dominant effects of testosterone, and is performed by all known derivates. Testosterone acts on the development of external genitalia, induces sex-related peripubertal changes, and affects the distribution of hairs and muscles. Later in life, the inherent androgenic effects of anabolic steroids lead to virilization in females, and to acne and suppression of testicular function in males. Athletes try to benefit from the anabolic effects – an increase in protein synthesis, muscle growth, and erythropoiesis. Although large, validated scientific studies on the performance-enhancing effects of anabolic steroids are scarce, athletes do not doubt their efficacy. Furthermore, the doses used by cheating athletes are much higher than those used in the few published studies. For example, the daily dose of testosterone used by an athlete from the former German Democratic Republic was about 400 times (2,720 mg) the dose normally produced in healthy men (7 mg). For obvious ethical reasons, controlled studies in healthy subjects cannot test such high amounts of anabolic steroids.
The list of dangerous long-term effects caused by steroid hormone abuse is long: hypertension, changes in the lipid profile, atherosclerosis, and an increase in tendon damage are the most frequently observed. The main endocrine effect is the development of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, characterized by low levels of gonadotrophins, suppression of testosterone production, and azoospermia in men. As prostate development and many prostate diseases are androgen dependent, the finding of prostate cancer after long-term abuse is not surprising. Chronic application of high doses of anabolic steroids in healthy young men has been shown to increase central prostate volume. In addition, through the physiological conversion of androgens to estradiol, gynecomastia (development of breasts) in males is not uncommon. Originally, injectable forms of anabolic steroids were used. Today, anabolic steroids can be administered orally, offering several advantages to the cheating athlete, especially the shorter clearance time from the body. However, the orally active 17-alpha-methyl derivates of testosterone seem to be even more dangerous because they are first metabolized in the liver, increasing the risk of liver diseases such as hepatitis and hepatic carcinoma. Despite their awareness of most of these serious consequences of anabolic steroid abuse, athletes persist in taking these substances. Using performance-enhancing drugs to be competitive in sports seems to be accepted as an inevitable necessity, and the consequences, which might not appear for several years, are ignored.
John Eustice, an ESPN cycling analyst, is on ESPN right now saying that cortisone injections can raise testosterone levels.
FWIW.
I repeat : "UCI is not a french organization"
Meanwhile, all participants attired in magenta tested positive for high levels of the female hormone estrogen.
The "B" sample still has to be analyzed, also per ESPN.
Please indulge my ignorance here, but aren't men supposed to have testosterone in their blood streams (other than French men of course)?
What he actually failed is the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio. That test is used to determine if a person has SUPPLEMENTED with exogenous testosterone, meaning, that he doped himself up with tesosterone.
It's a bicycle race for goodness sake.
Who cares.......
The idiot that holds up all traffic every morning and afternoon because he thinks he's friggin' Lance Armstrong and he's saving the planet by not driving his Subaru Outback the 7 miles that he has to travel to work, that's who.
Wasn't stage 17 the one he had that amazing comeback?? Couldn't that have given him a boost in testosterone??
Still, the bottom line is Landis will be smeared and Europeans can the "Cheapen" his victory.
These riders are tested all year long.
I think "baseline" is already established for all.
He's either just plain stupid or just plain crazy...
Is it an automatic suspension if the B test holds up?
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