Quote Originally Posted by Triskeliongirl
Yeh, but he did have a lot to lose, his reputation. I would have respected him more for finishing at any place with his bum hip than finishing and then being found out as a cheat. He knows the tests they do. He knows the stage winner and yellow jersey are tested. Yeh, its a gamble to be the other 'random guy', but not the stage winner............. But, then maybe it was the testosterone talking. Maybe he was supposed to re-claim a bunch of time, but not actually win the stage.......
I couldn't agree more, on both points.

I've been involved with drug testing, in another context but with similar high stakes, and time and time again, people would turn up positive even when they KNEW the risks and the testing procedures and what they stood to lose. I usually chalked it up to the drugs "talking," as TriskelionGirl says--the same stuff that makes a person feel good/perform better can also make him believe he can't get caught.

And I already had enormous respect for Floyd, riding so hard even with the bum hip--practically no hip joint left, according to the reports. That respect would have remained, even if he'd lost. But now...well, I'm still holding out some hope that he'll be able to clear himself, but it's looking less likely every day.