Posted on 02/23/2007 6:46:40 AM PST by commish
The doping case against Floyd Landis from last year's Tour de France may be in trouble, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
The French laboratory that handled the test results may have allowed improper access to Landis' urine samples, the newspaper reported, citing records that had been turned over to the cyclist's defense. A similar lapse in protocol previously has resulted in doping cases against athletes being dismissed.
According to the report, two technicians who conducted the "A" sample on Landis were involved in tests on the second "B" sample, which is used to confirm the first test. International lab standards do not allow the same technicians to work on both tests to prevent them from attempting to validate their original findings.
Doping allegations against Spanish cyclist Inigo Landaluze were dismissed late last year when it was discovered the same lab made a similar error with his tests in 2005.
Landis was accused of doping after the urine tests indicated he had an improper testosterone ratio and suggested the presence of artificial testosterone. He faces a two-year ban and being officially stripped of his Tour de France title if the results are upheld.
The Times reported it was not clear whether the technicians, Esther Cerpolini and Cynthia Mongongu, played enough of a role in the second round of tests to disqualify the findings. Landis' attorneys are seeking to question the two technicians and have filed a request for access to more lab documents and depositions of lab employees.
According to the newspaper, Travis Tygart, general counsel for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, declined to comment on the report, citing agency rules forbidding him from discussing ongoing cases.
Landis, who has denied using any banned substances, has said the samples were mishandled and that the results were based on flawed science.
The USADA is scheduled to hold a hearing on Landis' appeal on May 14. The French anti-doping agency postponed its decision on whether to suspend him after Landis agreed not to race in France this year.
Fair enough.
BEcause they only test the B sample if the A sample comes back positive. THey have someone different test it so that both fails are INDEPENDENTLY verified. It would be too tempting for the first testers to "Make Sure" that the B fails to corroborate thier A test.
ping!
He had a hip replaced after the tour. I wonder if that will impact this season's riding?
He's not doing the TDF this year; he's continuing to ride, but he may never be back to full form. A few years ago, Joseba Beloki shattered his hip in a horrific crash that could have easily claimed Armstrong as well - Beloki was a top contender, but is at best a B-list pro now.
Levi Leipheimer burns the course at Solvang to add 18 seconds to his lead.
Check out the final two stages of the Tour of California.
Live video and highlights via Adobe Flash Media starting at 1:45pm EST.
The Versus sports network starts coverage at 5:00pm EST, with a replay at midnight.
Levi Leipheimer currently leads Jens Voigt by 21 seconds. Today's stage runs 105 miles through the mountains from Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita.
That's just it, though. The Chatenay-Malabry lab keeps committing the same violations of ethics & protocols year after year. They keep cheating, they keep getting rebuked & nothing ever changes year after year. It's obviously not incompetence, it's willful corruption.
The only scenario I can come up with that TdF officials refuse to separate themselves from these crooks is that they must all have a gambling problem & use C-M to fix the races so that they can keep getting payouts from their bookies.
Otherwise I'm just at a loss to explain why they would delberately sabatoge the international reputation & prestige of their own race by continuing to use these sleazeballs. It's crazy!
I think he also agreed to a deal with TdF not to ride the tour this year in exchange for race officials deferring their decision on stripping his title until after the USADA hearing on his case (in May IIRC?).
I'm planning on being there today. I haven't decided on whether to watch the finish or an uphill section where they will pass by at a much slower speed. I'll probably check out the finish because it will involve three laps of a three mile circuit so they will pass by three times. Looking forward to seeing a lot of world class cyclists, world champion Paolo Bettini among them.
Jens Voigt just put a move on Leipheimer, trying leave him behind but Levi went out with him.
"That said, I believe Landis in innocent. He is one of the few riders who races with a computerized monitor. It measures watts of energy produced by the bike that they can download for analysis. He said that except for one short 45 second burst of excess energy early in the ride, his wattage was nearly identical to his training rides on the same course."
Indeed. That is probably the most telling stat in this whole mess. That and the fact that in order to register the high level of testosterone the lab allegedly found in Floyd's sample would take extended use and would have shown up in earlier stages.
Nice pull on the water bottles also!
To the frog lab...."...aurevoir go-fair!"
For anybody who's interested here's a piece from the NYT yesterday about the Tour of Cal with some stuff about the squabble between UCI/ProTour & Amaury (promoter of TdF & Paris-Nice)about who gets to ride.(Disco has been pulled out of Paris-Nice).
Sheesh. Cycling's such a soap opera! As The Gear Turns!
European sports federations are like kingdoms ruled by effete aristocrats. Nike played a groundbreaking role, years ago, in twisting their undies by taking sponsorship and endorsement deals straight to the athletes and bypassing the federations who had been accustomed to raking in all the dough and perks for themselves.
The NY Times story is an interesting look at one of those federations trying to hold on to power but it also shows the Eurocentric orientation of the Times in that the story of the day's racing in California is submerged in a story about European struggles.
Thanks for the ping! I couldn't agree more. They tried to go after Lance, and ultimately failed, and were relieved when he retired. Only to have yet un autre Americain rising to the top of their race?? Seems they couldn't have that and went to great measures to be sure there would be no 'Lance II'. What a shame.
Ironically, I am sensing that this has also damaged the tour.
I think I agree. For the near term at least. What made Le Tour the 'greatest' among the bicycle races was it's length, the sheer endurance needed to race for 3 or so weeks and win. They've shot themselves in the foot over this one.
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