Here we go again... another scandal on TDF

[aka_kim]

The press conference with Floyd at VeloNews is really interesting.

[maillotpois]

Great press conference! (Wow, he has the same thyroid disease I have! I can assure you his thyroid meds are not performance enhancing... )

[snapdragen]

I can assure you his thyroid meds are not performance enhancing... )

If only.......

snap "Levothyroxine" dragen

[velogirl]

(Wow, he has the same thyroid disease I have! I can assure you his thyroid meds are not performance enhancing... )

Not entirely true. Cytomel (T3) is a very popular drug among body builders and other athletes who need a super-low body fat percentage to perform at the top of their game (hmmmm.....sound like cyclists?). You can buy it on the web (along with other anabolic steroids) and there are hundreds of articles out there that explain dosing and phasing for weight loss. Down-side is that excess T3 can damage your heart and you can also lose muscle mass.

Levoxyl/Synthroid/et al (T4) is not popular because it takes a long time to dose into your system and the nuances of proper dosing are so tricky.

BTW, after spending years in hypo hell, I definitely think thyroid meds are performance enhancing (in a different sense). When I was super-hypo, I didn't recover, suffered severe muscle and joint pain, had a compromised immune system, the list goes on and on. All of these symptoms affected my ability to race my bike. By correcting this, my personal performance was definitely enhanced.

[maillotpois]

Not entirely true. Cytomel (T3) is a very popular drug among body builders and other athletes who need a super-low body fat percentage to perform at the top of their game (hmmmm.....sound like cyclists?). You can buy it on the web (along with other anabolic steroids) and there are hundreds of articles out there that explain dosing and phasing for weight loss. Down-side is that excess T3 can damage your heart and you can also lose muscle mass.

Levoxyl/Synthroid/et al (T4) is not popular because it takes a long time to dose into your system and the nuances of proper dosing are so tricky.

BTW, after spending years in hypo hell, I definitely think thyroid meds are performance enhancing (in a different sense). When I was super-hypo, I didn't recover, suffered severe muscle and joint pain, had a compromised immune system, the list goes on and on. All of these symptoms affected my ability to race my bike. By correcting this, my personal performance was definitely enhanced.

He's probably on T4, I would imagine.

It was performance enhancing for me in that I stopped being exhausted all the time. But I don't necessarily think it made me a better cyclist. It's more like fixing something that's broken than enhancing performance, I guess.

[SadieKate]

The press conference with Floyd at VeloNews is really interesting.

I haven't heard Floyd speak much but he sounded exhausted and distraught or is this his normal speech pattern?

I wanted to club a few of the reporters. "Would you lie to your mom?" "What will you do if you loose the TdF title?" Fer pete's sake, the guy is trying to figure out how to prove his innocence in a test that is by WADA standards inconsistent and is one that no one even tracks for baseline.

Thanks for the link, Kim.

[tomgrrrl]

Restrec, I beg to differ, but he hasn't been "fired" from Phonak, his team. Cycling has the most stringent rules in the sports world and it is STANDARD that athletes under investigation are "suspended" until the situation is resolved. It's how all the teams are required to operate....also, I don't think the situation is as black and white as you seem to...but, this being a free world, you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

Somehow this whole thing resembles a certain event back in Salem hundreds of years ago.....

[restrec]

Landis has not only been fired, but if you read the news today, due to the the past doping situations with Tyler Hamilton and 3 other riders, plus the recent especulations of Botero and another Phonak rider who were in the group of riders frequently visiting the Spaniard doctor, they have decided not to support cycling anymore, it is too embarrasing for them. Manzano the rider who spoke his mind about doping said and Merckz also said it sometime ago, that if you wanted just to finish the Tour you could go with no dope but those wanting to be in the top 15 will only make it with it. We have to let our kids know this, because if they are wanting to go professional some day they have to be aware of the consequences of doping to their health. These guys when they step into their 40's and 50's don't even have a sex life anymore !

Restrec, I beg to differ, but he hasn't been "fired" from Phonak, his team. Cycling has the most stringent rules in the sports world and it is STANDARD that athletes under investigation are "suspended" until the situation is resolved. It's how all the teams are required to operate....also, I don't think the situation is as black and white as you seem to...but, this being a free world, you are certainly entitled to your opinion.

Somehow this whole thing resembles a certain event back in Salem hundreds of years ago.....

[SadieKate]

Welcome to the forum, restrec. How about introducing yourself on the thread "Getting to Know You"? We're always snoopy about new people.

[velogirl]

Landis has not only been fired, but if you read the news today, due to the the past doping situations with Tyler Hamilton and 3 other riders, plus the recent especulations of Botero and another Phonak rider who were in the group of riders frequently visiting the Spaniard doctor, they have decided not to support cycling anymore, it is too embarrasing for them. Manzano the rider who spoke his mind about doping said and Merckz also said it sometime ago, that if you wanted just to finish the Tour you could go with no dope but those wanting to be in the top 15 will only make it with it. We have to let our kids know this, because if they are wanting to go professional some day they have to be aware of the consequences of doping to their health. These guys when they step into their 40's and 50's don't even have a sex life anymore !

Landis has not been fired. It is part of the WADA code of ethics (signed by teams and individual riders) that if a rider is under investigation he doesn't race during the interim and the team will suspend the rider. This isn't being fired.

Phonak had planned to pull out their title sponsorship as early as January (that's when I heard it from Floyd himself at a training camp in CA). iShares will be the new title sponsor of the team and Phonak will be a secondary sponsor.

It's a shame, in a country where we "should" be innocent until proven guilty, that the public and the media condemn (how do you spell that?) a rider before there is sufficient evidence or due process has been served. How can we be so judgemental? Give the guy a chance, will you? Rumors and misinformation do nothing to help the integrity of this sport.

Yes, doping is a problem in pro cycling. And every junior who wants to pursue the sport professionally quickly learns that, especially if they race in Europe. But there are pro racers who race clean and we should hold them up as an example to our aspiring athletes.

[FreshNewbie]

Thank you Velogirl! ... for speaking my mind!!! We didn't see any evidence yet regarding the Test B, but somehow people jump to conclusions right away. I know it's everybody's personal opinion, but maybe if you imagined yourself in his shoes or other riders' shoes then you would too want a benefit of a doubt. We all know that pro cycling is corrupted with doping and other issues but we shouldn't forget that puting everybody under one standard doesn't do any good. To me, until he is proven guilty and emptied his last resorts of innosence proof - he is not guilty!!!

[Denise223]

I'm wondering....Is it possible at all that TEST B could be tampered with??

[tomgrrrl]

Landis has not only been fired, but if you read the news today, due to the the past doping situations with Tyler Hamilton and 3 other riders, plus the recent especulations of Botero and another Phonak rider who were in the group of riders frequently visiting the Spaniard doctor, they have decided not to support cycling anymore, it is too embarrasing for them. Manzano the rider who spoke his mind about doping said and Merckz also said it sometime ago, that if you wanted just to finish the Tour you could go with no dope but those wanting to be in the top 15 will only make it with it. We have to let our kids know this, because if they are wanting to go professional some day they have to be aware of the consequences of doping to their health. These guys when they step into their 40's and 50's don't even have a sex life anymore !

Restrec, Phonak was pulling out of sponsorship after this TDF. That's what the announcers were saying on OLN when Landis was on the victory podium when he was presented with the yellow jersey. Ishares was going to take over, but that's not for sure. Teams change sponsorships all the time.....just look at how Postal became Discovery, etc. ...I'm sure this controversy has added to the muddle, but Phonak was out BEFORE this happened (unless my TIVO is lying to me). Perhaps i-ishares is now out and the team will regroup or riders will go elsewhere....I'm sure the scandal doesn't help solidify something already tenuous....

Also, I have a young daughter and agree that our children should be educated about the perils of drug use, etc....but I also try to instill in my daughter the idea that it's best to be sensitive to others and to hear people out, to try to give them the benefit of the doubt when faced with conflicting information....life can be complicated and the answers don't often come in black or white.....

[Nanci]

RM, I'd be happy to hold him down while you smack him. He's always the first to turn on someone, take Lance for instance. Any time you see him being interviewed, he's accusing someone of doping. I don't like him at all.

[Dogmama]

Why does he always pick on the Americans? Did he rail against Ullrich, et.al., when they were tossed?

He needs to take that chip off of his shoulder. He is making the sport look worse...if that is possible right now. Maybe it's the lead in his body?