Are All Tour de France Racers Dopers?

[jdobbin]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14059185/

Doping stunner catches Landis.

[andib]

Of course not everyone who does the Tour du France are on drugs, in all sports there are always people who try to enhance their abilities with drugs, and most of the time they are caught. It all comes down to the person, and if they think that the reward is worth the risk of exposure. Landis did, he won, and now he got caught. That's life i suppose.

[geoffrey]

Tough call. I'd really like to think they all aren't, but I'd say it's likely most of the all-round experts are. The sprinters likely aren't, as doping wouldn't really effect them as much as the others... too much risk for little reward.

Landis used testosterone, a really poor choice. It's easily detected, and it's hard to deny if it's synthetic. Maybe the coach slipped some to him, maybe he never knew. It's possible. The prize money makes the coach look good, and the coach will never have to deal with the results of a positive doping test.

I just find it hard to believe that Landis was a long-term doper and would use something like testosterone. There are much better performance enhancing drugs, like EPO, that are harder to find and provide much better results.

Testosterone makes me think it was a spur of the moment decision by either Landis or the manager of Phonak. Unlike EPO, it doesn't take days to work. But he would have known for sure he'd get caught, it's actually so easy to detect. Which is why I'm going to say Landis was ethical in his sporting approach, the manager likely slipped it, or something along those lines. It just doesn't make sense for anyone planning to cheat to use testosterone like that.

[andib]

Tough call. I'd really like to think they all aren't, but I'd say it's likely most of the all-round experts are. The sprinters likely aren't, as doping wouldn't really effect them as much as the others... too much risk for little reward.

Landis used testosterone, a really poor choice. It's easily detected, and it's hard to deny if it's synthetic. Maybe the coach slipped some to him, maybe he never knew. It's possible. The prize money makes the coach look good, and the coach will never have to deal with the results of a positive doping test.

I just find it hard to believe that Landis was a long-term doper and would use something like testosterone. There are much better performance enhancing drugs, like EPO, that are harder to find and provide much better results.

Testosterone makes me think it was a spur of the moment decision by either Landis or the manager of Phonak. Unlike EPO, it doesn't take days to work. But he would have known for sure he'd get caught, it's actually so easy to detect. Which is why I'm going to say Landis was ethical in his sporting approach, the manager likely slipped it, or something along those lines. It just doesn't make sense for anyone planning to cheat to use testosterone like that.

Well I do agree with it being easily detected to you could be right about his coach slipping it to him. After all you have to do rigorous training for the tour du france, as in the Olympics, but then again, there is still enhancement drugs used there.

[fellowtraveller]

Why on earth would his coach slip it to him, knowing that he'd be caught?

Equally puzzling is hwy Landis would test clean for testosterone in the early part of the races , then suddenly test positve later, after his big day?

Testosterone is not the kind of drug that anybody would take for instant performance on Day 17. He'd be taking some form of amphetamine.

Puzzling indeed.

[Wilber]

Most who use performance enhancing drugs do so along with masking agents. Maybe whatever he was using to mask the testosterone didn't work that day for some reason.

[geoffrey]

Why on earth would his coach slip it to him, knowing that he'd be caught?

The coach doesn't take the fall, why does he care? The manager gets the team to make considerably more money and at no risk to his own image. Just kick the guy off the team when he gets caught. It actually makes alot of sense why the coach or manager would slip him something.

Equally puzzling is hwy Landis would test clean for testosterone in the early part of the races , then suddenly test positve later, after his big day?

Testosterone is not the kind of drug that anybody would take for instant performance on Day 17. He'd be taking some form of amphetamine.

Puzzling indeed.

Not quite. He wouldn't have taken testosterone as we first heard. That level was normal. It's 'balancing agent' in his blood was reduced. It can be chemically controlled easily, and it would have immediately performance enhancing effects.

Amphetamines wouldn't work well, or have the same impact, in a distance event like this. If we were talking a time trial, you might be right. But not in a 200km mountain stage. It was 40 degrees celcius at road level that day, amphetamines at any performance enhancing level for that amount of time would kill someone surely.

Most who use performance enhancing drugs do so along with masking agents. Maybe whatever he was using to mask the testosterone didn't work that day for some reason.

Testosterone is probably the worse choice out of the many drugs available. This was a last minute decision, that drug works fast, just not well. I doubt if Landis was a long time doper.