GAME OVER FLOYD.

http://sports.myway.com/news/09272006/v8424.html

Tour De France Chief Clerc Says Landis Cheated
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Sep 27, 4:54 PM (ET)

PARIS (AP) -Tour de France chief Patrice Clerc said he considers Floyd Landis a cheater who has discredited cycling's showcase race.

"For me, the sermon has been read. Landis did not win the Tour because he cheated," Clerc said in an interview with sports daily L'Equipe published Wednesday.

Landis tested positive for elevated testosterone after winning this year's Tour de France and was fired by his Phonak team in August. The tour director, Christian Prudhomme, previously said he no longer considered Landis the champion.

Landis could become the first winner in the 103-year history of the Tour de France to lose his title over doping allegations. Landis' legal team claims major mistakes were made in the tests that came up positive for synthetic testosterone.

A review board has recommended the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency move forward in the disciplinary process against Landis.

Clerc, the head of Amaury Sports Organization which owns the Tour, said that Landis "gravely affected the credibility of his sport."

Urine tests were taken July 20 following Landis' Stage 17 victory during a grueling Alpine leg, when he regained nearly eight minutes on leader Oscar Pereiro. Landis' "A" and "B" samples turned up a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone of 11:1 - far in excess of the 4:1 limit.

Clerc says the fight against doping must be stepped up.

"Anything that goes in the direction of the fight against doping is fine by me," Clerc said. "There are often facades of discussions, but no action follows. I want to believe that the will exists today."

On Saturday, Landis' attorney Howard Jacobs said his client would appeal the positive test and ask for an open hearing by the American Arbitration Association. USADA has said it would agree to an open hearing, which would probably not take place until early next year.

His words would mean more if his bosses didn't own the lab that did the testing. I still don't understand how they can allow this conflict to persist. - TF

His words would mean more if his bosses didn't own the lab that did the testing. I still don't understand how they can allow this conflict to persist. - TF
That's right. It's a conflict of interest just like a prosecutor using tests performed by police laboratories. That was the defense argument in the OJ case and Landis is clearly being framed almost as badly as OJ was. The similarities are spooky. The judge in the OJ case was named Lance and Floyd used to ride for Lance. Too bad Johnny Cochran's not around to defend Floyd: "If it's not exogenous testosterone, you must give Floyd the maillot jaune."

His words would mean more if his bosses didn't own the lab that did the testing. I still don't understand how they can allow this conflict to persist. - TF

ASO owns the testing lab? If true, I agree but wouldn't the logical conflict of interest be to suppress positives because it damages the image of cycling and the Tour?

That's right. It's a conflict of interest just like a prosecutor using tests performed by police laboratories. That was the defense argument in the OJ case and Landis is clearly being framed almost as badly as OJ was. The similarities are spooky. The judge in the OJ case was named Lance and Floyd used to ride for Lance. Too bad Johnny Cochran's not around to defend Floyd: "If it's not exogenous testosterone, you must give Floyd the maillot jaune."So you see ASO in the role of prosecutor? I certainly agree that the prosecutor and police labs are both on the side of the state/prosecution, so there is no conflict. But it hadn't occurred to me that ASO filled that role. With these remarks, Clerc has certainly taken a side, but that goes to bias rather than conflict of interest, I'd say.

I still want to know if ASO, an organization that promotes bike races, owns a dope testing lab?

ASO owns the testing lab? If true, I agree but wouldn't the logical conflict of interest be to suppress positives because it damages the image of cycling and the Tour?
I may have to retract that. I know that I read that the holding company (ASO) owns the Tour, L'Equipe and the Chateny-Malabry Laboratory, but now cannot find the source. The only thing I find is an article by Bob Roll which sounds like he also believed it to be true but has been informed that he was wrong. They do own L'Equipe and the Tour, but the Lab is owned by the French government. I am glad that it's not true.

TF

Edit: The link to the Roll article. - http://www.olntv.com/tdf/

I am glad that it's not true.
http://www.olntv.com/tdf/

That makes sense given the name of the laboratory.

When the Landis story first broke it was "wait for the B sample". Now that he failed that too it's become wait for the USADA verdict. Next it will be wait for CAS, and after that maybe he will try the Hondo route of taking it to the judicial system too. Do we have to wait for him to be judged at the gates of heaven before it's OK to do as Clerc did and state the obvious?

When the Landis story first broke it was "wait for the B sample". Now that he failed that too it's become wait for the USADA verdict. Next it will be wait for CAS, and after that maybe he will try the Hondo route of taking it to the judicial system too. Do we have to wait for him to be judged at the gates of heaven before it's OK to do as Clerc did and state the obvious?

Let's be realistic. Nobody really said, "Wait for the B sample." Everyone assumed they'd match. You pee in one cup, and they split it into two different samples. Many of us did say, though, something doesn't seem right here. Wait and see how it plays out. That's what we're doing.

I just wonder why they don't release all this damning evidence. Why are we still dealing in leaks and rumors over 2 months after this has occurred? I'm sure they have evidence that "indicates" Floyd may have cheated. I'm just not convinced they have evidence that "proves" he cheated. But if they do it seems to me it would be easy to put an end to all this speculation.

"If it's not exogenous testosterone, you must give Floyd the maillot jaune."
Awesome.:D

"If it's not exogenous testosterone, you must give Floyd the maillot jaune."

f%&king brilliant, you are.

Anyway, my reaction to the article was something like this: "Oh, s@#$, another cycling expert thinks he did it. Must be true!" [/sarcasm]

It's not like he's saying anything different than anyone else has said, and the accusers are looking shadier by the day, if you ask me...but that's just me. Maybe I should do an interview.

I just wonder why they don't release all this damning evidence. Why are we still dealing in leaks and rumors over 2 months after this has occurred? I'm sure they have evidence that "indicates" Floyd may have cheated. I'm just not convinced they have evidence that "proves" he cheated. But if they do it seems to me it would be easy to put an end to all this speculation.


Everyone just seems to care about Landis.

What about Sascha Unweider - Phonak team member, who failed the same drug test back in February or so of this year (2006).

Everyone just seems to care about Landis.

What about Sascha Unweider - Phonak team member, who failed the same drug test back in February or so of this year (2006).

Well, because Sacha isn't American and so there's no French consiracy. And since he's not American, of course he doped. I'm telling you, the French are mightily pissed off about the whole Freedom Fries thing and they'll do anything to make an American, any American, look bad - even if it means ruining the biggest sporting event they have. [/sarcasm]