Damn, damn, damn.....Landis
Disappointing. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.
From ESPN.com - Phonak: Landis had positive test after Stage 17
From Velonews - Phonak confirms Landis rider in question
From New York Times - Landis Fails Drug Test After Triumph in Tour de France
From Cyclingnews (before Landis' name revealed) - Speculation catches fire over Tour de France positive
After going through the ESPN site a bit more I found more interesting information. On the main page there's a headline stating "Instant reaction" with an arrow on it. That arrow will open up into a new window that has a video report about the test result.
Cycling commentator John Eustice provides some insight, and goes on to mention that in every past positive test result of testosterone the rider was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. He states the testing for this particular drug isn't as reliable as everyone would assume, which has resulted in results being overturned every time in the past.
Another interesting section on ESPN is you can vote on whether or not you believe Landis cheated. Click and cast your votes to seven different questions, and then check the results. When I completed my votes there were over 15,000 who had already voted. Here was the results upon completion:
1) Do you believe reports that Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone after his dramatic comeback in Stage 17 of the Tour de France?
68.0% Yes
32.0% No
2) Would you still consider Landis' struggle to overcome a degenerative hip condition admirable if he used banned substances during the Tour de France?
71.4% No
28.6% Yes
3) If true, how would a positive test for Landis affect your interest in the Tour de France in the future?
27.1% I wasn't interested to begin with
26.9% Wouldn't diminish
25.6% Significantly diminish
20.4% Slightly diminish
4) Would a positive test for Landis make you any more likely to believe allegations that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs?
69.1% No
30.9% Yes
5) Do you believe the allegations against Armstrong?
69.4% No
30.6% Yes
6) Which sport has a bigger image problem when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs?
52.9% Baseball
31.7% Cycling
15.4% Track and field
7) How much has the issue of performance-enhancing drugs diminished your interest in sports in general?
44.7% Slightly
41.2% Not at all
14.1% Significantly
There are a lot of different ways to interpret this un-scientific information. A large percentage believe Landis did cheat, but an almost equal amount do not believe the allegations against Lance Armstrong. The other interesting number is the voters believe baseball to have a bigger image problem than cycling, which goes to prove that American sports fans aren't aware of cycling's problems. My guess is if this same poll was taken in Europe the numbers would be reversed.
Baseball can thank Barry Bonds and Bud Selig for their image woes.
From ESPN.com - Phonak: Landis had positive test after Stage 17
From Velonews - Phonak confirms Landis rider in question
From New York Times - Landis Fails Drug Test After Triumph in Tour de France
From Cyclingnews (before Landis' name revealed) - Speculation catches fire over Tour de France positive
After going through the ESPN site a bit more I found more interesting information. On the main page there's a headline stating "Instant reaction" with an arrow on it. That arrow will open up into a new window that has a video report about the test result.
Cycling commentator John Eustice provides some insight, and goes on to mention that in every past positive test result of testosterone the rider was eventually cleared of wrongdoing. He states the testing for this particular drug isn't as reliable as everyone would assume, which has resulted in results being overturned every time in the past.
Another interesting section on ESPN is you can vote on whether or not you believe Landis cheated. Click and cast your votes to seven different questions, and then check the results. When I completed my votes there were over 15,000 who had already voted. Here was the results upon completion:
1) Do you believe reports that Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone after his dramatic comeback in Stage 17 of the Tour de France?
68.0% Yes
32.0% No
2) Would you still consider Landis' struggle to overcome a degenerative hip condition admirable if he used banned substances during the Tour de France?
71.4% No
28.6% Yes
3) If true, how would a positive test for Landis affect your interest in the Tour de France in the future?
27.1% I wasn't interested to begin with
26.9% Wouldn't diminish
25.6% Significantly diminish
20.4% Slightly diminish
4) Would a positive test for Landis make you any more likely to believe allegations that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs?
69.1% No
30.9% Yes
5) Do you believe the allegations against Armstrong?
69.4% No
30.6% Yes
6) Which sport has a bigger image problem when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs?
52.9% Baseball
31.7% Cycling
15.4% Track and field
7) How much has the issue of performance-enhancing drugs diminished your interest in sports in general?
44.7% Slightly
41.2% Not at all
14.1% Significantly
There are a lot of different ways to interpret this un-scientific information. A large percentage believe Landis did cheat, but an almost equal amount do not believe the allegations against Lance Armstrong. The other interesting number is the voters believe baseball to have a bigger image problem than cycling, which goes to prove that American sports fans aren't aware of cycling's problems. My guess is if this same poll was taken in Europe the numbers would be reversed.
Baseball can thank Barry Bonds and Bud Selig for their image woes.
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 7/27/2006 10:28:00 AM
1 Comments:
I think the most interesting poll result is #2, which shows conclusively that the majority of the 15,000 polled are complete freaking retards who refuse to accept that Landis' drug regimin did little to help him overcome an ailment that would limit them to a walker. Anyone who voted no for that question should be limited to EPO, growth hormone, testosterone, cortisone, transfusions, etc. when their hips go out.
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