Jul
27
My neighbor this morning called out to me as I was leaving for the office, “Hey Lance, did you hear about Landis today?”….and I thought, “Ahhhhhh crap, he’s either dead or on dope.” Of course when your brain works as mine does, to learn he was allegedly on dope was a relief of sorts. Truthfully though, I was shocked, disappointed and I suddenly grew very depressed about the sport I grew up in and have been following for nearly 35 years. My 9 year old son who also heard the conversation I was having asked me if Landis was doping and I said, “Remember, you are innocent until proven guilty”, let’s hope for the best.
It seems inconceivable to me that Landis would risk it all by taking testosterone supplements during an event that was already marred in a doping scandal. How insane is that? I thought the same the day I heard about Tyler Hamilton. Tyler was personally a big shock, particularly after having the opportunity to meet him and present him with the Athlete of the Year- BR&IN’y, which we did at Interbike in 2004. This guy’s reputation was so squeaky clean that I immediately thought there had to be a mistake. He still protests that he is indeed innocent…. and who knows what the real deal is?
Well at this moment it is too early to make judgments about Landis. The “B” sample has not been reported on just yet and perhaps Landis had some sort of biological anomaly after stage 17….doesn’t hurt to be overly optimistic….does it? It is interesting to note that The World Anti-Doping Agency has lowered the limit for the maximum T/E (Testosterone/Epitestosterone) level from 6:1 to 4:1. Some athletes have naturally high levels, and can prove this through a series of tests.
Speaking for the team here at Interbike, we really are hoping for the best regarding Landis. We were working with some of our best exhibitors to have him as a special guest at the upcoming Interbike 2006. His presence would mean a lot for the bike industry, an industry that now needs a post Armstrong hero to keep cycling in the media main stream.
Let’s keep our thoughts positive.
Comments
One Response to “Say It Ain’t So!”
Positive thoughts, indeed. As things stand right now, I’d be happy to see him at the show. Keep working on getting him there!