His wife could have refused him sex the night before after the terrible result?
Oh no, this is not good. If true, France and its people are going to have a field day!!!!
Excuse me, but don't all men (real men, manly men, YES!) have testosterone in their blood?
Now that I'm "older", maybe I could use a little more.
Was this deemed an unusual level of testosterone in relation to the average French "man"?
He's a man. Why shouldn't he test positive for testosterone?
People should try to win legally--in sports, by not using drug enhancements. This goes for all sportsmen; until it is shown that Landis cheated, his name shouldn't be impinged upon.
"tested positive for the male sex hormone testosterone."
....as opposed to the French male who has none....
Is this really news anyone cares about?
It's a bicycle race for goodness sake.
Who cares.......
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.
John Eustice, an ESPN cycling analyst, is on ESPN right now saying that cortisone injections can raise testosterone levels.
FWIW.
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)?
He's either just plain stupid or just plain crazy...
here's more ping
His wife could have refused him sex the night before after the terrible result?
Landis broke during stage 16 and was written off by all the commentators. In the next stage his ride was widely considered the best single stage ride in the history of the tour. Could he have taken a desperate risk and shot himself up before stage 17?
Phonak confirms Landis rider in question (VeloNews.com)
The Phonak Cycling Team issued the following statement Thursday:
The Phonak Cycling Team was notified yesterday by the UCI of an unusual level of Testosteron/Epitestosteron ratio in the test made on Floyd Landis after stage 17 of the Tour de France.
The Team Management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result.
The rider will ask in the upcoming days for the counter analysis to prove either that this result is coming from a natural process or that this is resulting from a mistake in the confirmation.
In application of the Pro Tour Ethical Code, the rider will not race anymore until this problem is totally clear.
If the result of the B sample analysis confirms the result of the A sample the rider will be dismissed and will then pass the corresponding endocrinological examinations.
Please understand that we cannot at this time give you more detailed comments.
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my Tour de France 2006 list.
I'm thinking that synthetic testosterone should be identifiable in the blood stream. And after a while it will also produce anti-bodies which is why the patches, etc., lose their effectiveness over time.