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Le Scandal Uncovered Part 3

August 10th 2006 08:26

Bonjour tout le monde!

Now to part 3. So far, we’ve managed to look at quite a bit of the evidence for and against the case of Floyd Landis, but today, I’d really like to focus on the effects of testosterone in the body and how this would in fact enhance an athlete’s performance (which it must do for it to be illegal).

Apparently there has been a lot of debate about this. (It seems that there’s always a lot of debate about cycling…) For those of you who don’t know, testosterone is the principal male hormone which helps development during puberty. It also helps muscle growth and development (an anabolic effect).

The chemical make up of testosterone (this picture is in the public domain and can be found at wikipedia.org)

That last sentence is probably the most relevant for our issue at hand. When used as a performance enhancer, testosterone doesn’t give a quick burst of energy, like most drugs: it is at its most effective when used over a long period of time. This fact throws new light onto the Landis case. If in fact, his ratio is as high as it has been revealed, he has been cheating for a very long time and has probably been “asking” it or diluting it to avoid detection. The positive result, in this case, would have been caused by a mistake in that day’s dosage. Excess testosterone can also be caused by a dose of the Human Growth Hormone. (or HGH)

Other physicians have claimed that testosterone can have a great short term effect. So it even seems that doctors aren’t really convinced about testosterone’s effect either!!!

Everything I’ve said up above is just pure speculation when studying the facts listed in the past two posts. I don’t think anyone is really going to find out exactly what happened.

On August 1, it was reported in the media that a CIR (Carbon Isotope Ratio) test was performed on Landis’ A sample, which revealed that synthetic testosterone was found in the sample. This means that Landis’ claim that the excess hormone was produced naturally has been blown out of the water: some of the testosterone has come from an external source.

So I suppose now we just wait and see. I will post any news I hear about Landis on this blog. Keep looking over the next few months because I have a feeling this isn’t going to go away quickly.

I’ll return to the tour of New Caledonia tomorrow
À demain
Melinda

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Le Scandal Uncovered Part 2

August 7th 2006 23:00

Bonjour tout le monde!

Well, overnight Floyd Landis appeared on “Good Morning America” to say he did not take any banned substance and plans to fight the allegations against him. Unfortunately for Landis, there seems to be so much evidence stacking up against him: the unbelievable ride in Stage 17 of the Tour, the fact that synthetic testosterone was found in his blood and that his testosterone ratio was so far above the allowed level. (For information on this evidence, check out yesterday’s post here)

But today, I’m going to show you more discussion, which could partly explain elevated testosterone levels. Since Landis has been so adamant that he did not take any banned substance, is it possible that a combination of factors during the Tour led to his elevated level?

Let’s see shall we…

Floyd Landis in the Tour of California (this picture was taken by Michael David Murray and is licensed under the Creative Commons 2.0 Agreement and can be found at wikipedia.org)

Over the past week, there has been some debate over the actual validity of the tests themselves and whether an elevated testosterone level can actually prove that doping has occurred.

There is also some evidence to support Landis’ claim that his high testosterone levels are in fact natural. He has a condition called Hypothyroidism (a condition caused by the insufficient production of the thyroid hormone), which lowers a man’s level of SHBG (for us girls, that stands for Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin). This may allow testosterone to accumulate in the body, and create an unusually high ratio. Unfortunately, this explanation has been all but ruled out because none of Landis’ previous tests during the entire 2006 season or the Tour itself indicated higher than normal levels.

But can you believe there is another legitimate explanation? Alcohol consumption can also raise the amount of testosterone in the body. Apparently after Landis’ poor performance in Stage 16, he went out on the town. According to reports, Landis had “2 beers and at least 4 shots of Jack Daniels” (the interview can be found by clicking here). It has shown that alcohol can increase testosterone ratios by about 40% in men. But, this explanation has also been discredited because an increase of 40%, if Landis had the maximum allowed ratio of 4.1, would only put the ratio up to 5.74: a figure nowhere near the 11.1 found in his system.

So the mystery continues. Did he do it or didn’t he do it?
We’ll just have to wait and see.
Check out this site tomorrow for Part 3 of the series

À demain
Melinda
P.S for a report on the evidence click here for a report from the NY Times

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Le Scandal Uncovered: Part 1

August 6th 2006 23:36

Bonjour tout le monde!

I’m sure you’ve been following Le Scandal in the media over the past week. Controversy has never touched the Tour de France in such a drastic way before: this is the first time in the race’s history that the winner has ever been involved in a drugs scandal.

But over this week, I have been confused. Could Landis be telling the truth: that high levels of testosterone can occur naturally in elite sportsmen? How does a boost in testosterone levels help an athlete to cheat? I am hoping that this post will answer a few unsolved questions…

We’ll start with the background to the case and see if we can come up with some answers. The events started on July 27, when Landis’ team, Phonak, announced that Landis’ ‘A’ sample had tested positive to an unusually high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. The sample in question was taken from Landis after his dramatic ride in Stage 17 (after a disastrous ride in Stage 16, Landis staged a solo breakaway, finishing 120 kilometres and over 9 minutes ahead of his closest opponent. He was ranked 11th overall after Stage 16 and this fantastic ride, pushed him back up into 3rd place in the General Classification.) A report on the ride can be found here. (wikipedia.org)

When the news about the positive test was reported, Landis immediately began to protest his innocence. He was suspended from Phonak, pending the results of his ‘B’ sample. On July 28, he appeared on ‘Larry King Live’ (a TV show in the US) and continued to proclaim his innocence. While on the show, Landis’ former team mate and seven time Tour winner Lance Armstrong called to show his support. Armstrong said:

"The only other thing I will say and add to this that, you know, without getting too -- too crazy or too much of a conspiracy theorist is that keep it in mind the laboratory here that found this abnormal reading is the same lab that I've been involved in with all the allegations over in France" (click here to read full transcript)

During this time, Landis’ doctor revealed that the test on the ‘A’ sample had found a ratio of 11.1 in Landis’ blood, when the permitted ratio is only 4.1. (click here for that interview).

So much to write about, so little time.
Look us up tomorrow for Part 2 of Le Scandal Uncovered.

À demain
Melinda

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'B' Sample comes back positive

August 6th 2006 03:08

Bonjour tout le monde!

News came in late last night (AEST) that Floyd Landis' 'B' sample from the 17th Stage of the Tour de France has come back positive for high levels of testosterone.

At this stage, he has not been stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title. A decision will be made about this after the completion of an inquiry by the International Cycling Union. It is anticipated that Landis will be stripped of the title, sacked from his racing team Phonak Hearing Systems and banned from the sport for two years. However, this inquiry could go on for months because it has an involved process of appeals and evidence giving.

Landis has said that he did not cheat, he has never taken an illegal substance and he will fight to clear his name. He is sticking by the explanation that high testosterone levels are natural in elite athletes, despite rumours that synthetic testosterone was found in the sample.

So, the next question which needs to be asked: if Landis claims that he did not take any banned substance, how did the synthetic testosterone find its way into his system? Is he lying? Did someone spike a drink? Is there a larger conspiracy at work here?

I suppose we'll just have to wait to find out...

There is another rumour going around that Landis could be sued for bringing the sport into disrepute. Cycling has had a rather bad image over the past few years. The sport should be commended for trying to clean up its act, but will doping ever be completely eliminated from every sport?
It's doubtful. As long as there's competition, there will be athletes out their willing to sell their soul for glory.

I will bring you the latest updates on this issue over the coming weeks.
A demain
Melinda

P.S. for all the background information on the case, click here. This will take you to an older post on this blog which has all relevant information.

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"B Positive or not B positive. That is the question": Judgement day for Landis

August 3rd 2006 10:12

Saturday is judgement day. It is the day when the world will find out whether Floyd Landis' "B sample" tests positive to elevated levels of testosterone.

[ Click here to read more ]

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