Obsession du Flandis
February 12th, 2007 |Some have asked me “Why do you keep writing about Floyd Landis if you obviously think he’s guilty?”
First off, I am full of shit and if you take anything you read on my site seriously then it’s at your own peril. That goes for just about everything you read on some idiots blog.
Doping pro cyclists don’t really bother me. Those who get busted and claim to the heavens that they are innocent bother the royal hell out of me. If you are really innocent then keep your yap shut, fight the charge and let the chips fall. Your case should not be won or lost in the public arena. The only reason a pro has to go to the public with their case is to raise cash for their defense.
I really believe that cycling fans who contribute their hard earned cash to support a professional athlete’s fight against a doping charge are fools. Why would you give money to a professional athlete for any reason? Just because you happen to be from the same country? Just because you have read some articles in VeloNews? This means you “know” the guy now? Please. It’s crazy. I am not saying you’re foolish if you disagree with me that Flandis is probably guilty. You have a right to your opinion and there is enough doubt in the case to effectively argue your position. But those who believe so strongly that they are willing to actually give their own money to someone that they don’t even know to fight a charge that is more than likely legit? Dumb. How many non-American cyclists did you send money in order to fight a doping charge?
When I use the phrase “attack on science” I am not attempting to compare those who fight the testing process with those who debate the existence of global warming or evolution. I am open to debate regarding the testing procedure. But I have to believe that if the testing was so bad that we would see a lot more positive results and the professionals would never stand for this kind of testing procedure. Keep in mind that the pros have the power here. If they don’t like the testing they can refuse to ride and bring the sport to its knees. They all agree on the testing procedure in advance. Then an American gets popped and the “the testing procedure is faulty.” It reeks of sour grapes to me. I mean, look at the Hamilton case. He gets busted for blood transfusion so he comes up with some crazy story about a ‘vanishing twin’ in order to explain his positive test. But he has no explanation for the fact that only one other rider suffered the same positive test. This other rider was not only a member of the same team as Hamilton, but the two were room mates! It’s seems so obvious that these two were blood doping and their blood got mixed up. What does Hamilton take us for, complete morons? It’s totally absurd! Flandis stating that there is no reason to use testosterone as a professional cyclist? That’s just a lie. No one has a problem with the testing when the result lights up green. But when it’s red it must be because the French lab has an ax to grind against an American for winning “their race” and so the whole procedure is thrown into doubt. Let me ask you a question. If the whole procedure is in doubt does that make pro cycling less dirty or more dirty? And the idea that a French lab would risk their professional credibility on something as globally insignificant as a bike race is so stupid that I can’t believe people actually take this argument seriously. It’s just a sign of how far people are willing to go in order to convince themselves that the most likely scenario, that Flandis did indeed dope, is not the case.
Why do I keep talking about it? It’s probably the Anna Nicole phenomenon. I keep talking about it because it keeps coming up in the news. If it would die down then I would lose interest. Maybe I am a bit obsessed with it. However, I will say, it is a really big deal. Landis could be the first winner of the Tour de France to be DQ’d. I have a number of contacts in Europe who tell me that the sport is falling apart over there due to the doping scandals. Young people, who would normally be encouraged to participate in the sport, are being directed to other sports due to the doping scandals. The parents are too stupid to realize that doping exists in just about every sport, but that is a different matter. The fact is that fewer kids are getting into competitive cycling in Europe and the sport is on the decline. Between the questions and suspicions about Lance Armstrong and doping in the ‘99 Tour, the Tyler Hamilton situation and now Floyd Landis, there is the perception that (right or wrong) since Americans are involved in the sport of cycling at the top level, the sport is going to be destroyed. This is certainly a case of typical America bashing by the Euro’s, Americans are not the first to get busted for doping after all. But can you blame them for getting sour on the sport? I sure can’t. American’s do it bigger and better and that includes the doping scandals. Did Pantani and Heras try and bring the down entire testing procedure when they got busted? No. Why not? Because they were guilty. Armstrong, Hamilton, Landis? Innocent just because they are Americans? You’ll have to do better than that to convince me. After all, Virenque never tested positive once and I think we all know how clean that guy was.
So yea, I am probably overly consumed with the Landis situation. Maybe I should get over it. Doping exists in all sport and I think pro cycling is probably as dirty as any sport. But I just can’t help feeling that those that cry the loudest when they get questioned or popped are the dirtiest. The louder they cry the more irritated I get and the harder I hope they fall. I am sure it is hard for Flandis, seeing all the coin that Armstrong has collected over the years, watching his chance at the same payoff just drying up and blowing away. Too bad. You pay your money and you take your chance. If you get popped just take your medicine and shut up about it. That’s the price of playing the lottery. If you don’t like the rules then stay out of the game.
Maybe Landis should have donated a bunch of money to the UCI to “fight doping” like Armstrong did between 2000 and 2005. Seems to have been a good insurance policy for Armstrong.
