Latest on Landis

In the latest--and last--option for Floyd Landis, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed the appeal that Floyd Landis had entered to keep his 2006 Tour de France title. He was stripped of that title for elevated testosterone. I for one have always maintained that Floyd was innocent. This decision does little to change that opinion. I don't have any personal insights or insider info that makes me think this, just a gut feeling and a few questions:

1) Doping before the biggest race of the year, I can see happening. Doping DURING that race, knowing that if you win (even a stage win), that you'll be tested? No way.
2) Doping by taking testosterone--which doesn't even kick in immediately--and is the easiest performance-enhancer to catch, since it's been around longest? No way.
3) I just trust Floyd. I'm not sure why. He's not even my favorite cyclist. I just trust that he's been honest. Until he comes out and says "I was lying all along" (which I don't think is coming), I will believe Floyd.

I really believe he was a victim of either faulty testing or some sort of conspiracy against American cyclists--who, with Lance--had dominated the TdF for eight years straight.

Floyd Landis--MY Tour de France 2006 Champion.

Quick Cycling Thought

I was over reading a bit on the The Fat Cyclist blog earlier and posted a comment that came to me regarding the doping scandals in cycling: "Lance" is an anagram of "clean." Of course "Floyd" isn't, but I still think Landis was clean as well. I'm not sure why, but in my gut, I trust him...at least more than the WADA and USADA. Definitely more than Lemond, which is an anagram for L Demon.

Anyway, with Bjarne Riis coming out saying he doped today, and willing to give back his maillot jeune and be stripped of his title, the pressure ratchets a bit on ol' Floyd. Looks like Erik Zabel and some other elite cyclists have come out of the Rx closet as well. Why isn't anyone looking at Miguel Indurain? Five in a row? He had to be on EPO, right?

If Indu goes down, though, I think my heart would break. I'm Danish by heritage and Basque at heart. Riis's confession I can live with...but I've been to Indu's hometown...lived 2km from it...cheered loudly when he was dominating...I don't know what I'd do.