Should I read this book?

...or will it just get me pissed-off all over again? A friend who knows little about cycling saw it on a remaindered table and thought, "I'll bet Ed would like that!" He was genuinely happy to give it to me, and I took it graciously.

Floyd Landis hires Lemond's attorney

AFP Photo

This story from AFP (LINK) says that Floyd Landis has hired Greg Lemond's lawyer in case he faces a criminal case or a defamation law suit. Previously, I supported his fight against what I believed was a badly flawed case brought by the French anti-doping agency. As it turns out, I was wrong. Landis lied about using performance enhancing drugs. He lied right up through the Court for Arbitration in Sports. He continued to lie after the court ruled against him.

But we're supposed to believe him now that he's accusing others of similar cheating.

One question to ask is "who benefits?" Landis no longer has a team. It's extremely unlikely that anyone in professional bicycle racing will hire him, so his career is over.

I'm sorry that I supported his fight. I'm sorry that I believed he had a valid case against the French. But I will not be sorry for this - you've lied and cheated, Floyd, demonstrating to the world that your words mean nothing. You're facing an uphill battle because from now on, you'll be regarded as a liar first. Whatever tumbles from your mouth will not be believed. It will have no credibility unless or until you have proof for your allegations.

(By the way, I think the guy on the left is Keith Richards. Yes, there really is a guy over there! You didn't see him? I wonder why?)

Floyd Landis....hacker?

The story is available on hundreds of sites by now. A French judge issued an arrest warrant - apparently only valid in France - for one Floyd Landis. Pierre Bordry, president of the French anti-doping agency, said Landis is wanted for illegally hacking into the files of an anti-doping laboratory while preparing for his defense on doping charges.

All this happened in 2007. They're just getting around to bringing charges now? Why is there a whiff of over-ripe cheese about this?

Landis was found guilty of doping. He appealed and lost. He cannot find a spot on a professional team despite having served his suspension. The French really seem to be vindictive over this whole affair since the basis for the warrant was a trace to the IP address of Landis' former coach, Arnie Baker. Unless there's much more they're not revealing, the information connecting this to Landis is sketchy.

But here's a thought - somewhere in France there's undoubtedly been some computer hacking during the Tour. And that pesky American, Lance Armstrong, has been in the country when it happened. It's very possible that Armstrong, as a secret member of an American cabal out to discredit French cycling, culture, haute cuisine, and their execrable cars, hacked into all those computers while hiding in plain sight within the pro peleton. It's only a little more far-fetched than the charges against Landis.

Biased? Not us!

MSNBC picked up an AP story about Floyd Landis and his last chance hearing before the Court for Arbitration in Sport scheduled for tomorrow in New York. Now, the headline would make you think that the taxpayers are paying for Landis' defense, but that is simply not true. That means it is false. That means the headline is a LIE. Now, if I had written this, I'd prefer anonymity too, just as the writer who penned this article seemed to prefer.

(Photo credit: Kevork Djansezian/AP)

The truth of the matter is that we taxpayers support the USADA, which may spend that $2 million in pursuing this case. That's a big chunk of their annual budget, but should Landis' be denied a chance to clear his name because of budget constraints? That seems to be the implication here. It costs too much to allow Landis an appeal, therefore he shouldn't be heard. I never knew that justice, right and wrong, or having a day in court were subject to a corporate balance sheet. Too expensive? Too bad. Appeal denied.

This case is 'de novo' meaning that it's a do-over for everyone involved. Rather than an appeal based on previous decisions or perceived errors, this time it starts from scratch. Also, this one is not open to the public, so we'll have to wait for news to trickle out.

(excerpts follow)


Taxpayers footing bill for Landis’ Tour defense Court fees may cost Americans $2 million in cyclist's effort to restore title

(LINK)

Cyclist Floyd Landis will make his final appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in New York on Wednesday in an effort to regain the 2006 Tour de France title he lost because of a positive doping test.

The final step in the Floyd Landis doping case will take place in New York, America’s most expensive city, and once again, American taxpayers will foot part of the bill.

The 2006 Tour de France winner, who was stripped of his victory last year, seeks to have his title restored by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It’s the final step in a series of appeals that have cost upward of $2 million, a good portion of which has been paid for with federal funds.

...But it will still be costly, and a good chunk of the cost will be footed by USADA, which gets about 70 percent of its $12 million annual budget from the federal government, and the rest from the U.S. Olympic Committee.

When all of USADA’s expenses are added up, it’s possible prosecuting the Landis case from start to finish could eat up between 5 and 10 percent of the agency’s annual budget.

...CAS, largely bankrolled by the International Olympic Committee and various sports federations, will pay for arbitrators — including one from New Zealand and one from Paris — to travel to New York for the hearing.

...In the past, Landis and Suh have said they have little concern over depleting USADA’s coffers, because it’s their belief USADA runs an unfair system that is rigged against athletes.

“Everyone talks about how much money has been spent on this case, but they had twice what we had,” Suh said in an interview last September. “They had more experts at their beck and call. They spent much more than we did. That’s always been part of the system, that they’ve always had more resources than the athlete. This is the first time it’s even been close.”

My thoughts on the Landis case...

OK, everyone knows the Landis decision has been released. According to the panel, he was guilty of doping during the 2006 Tour de France. I wrote some time ago that I believed they'd find him guilty. This is not an I-told-you-so because I was hoping to be proved wrong. The lab committed grave errors and the panel recognized that. But I won't cover the same ground Radio Freddy did in Belgium Knee Warmers. Please read his post.

Anyone who's seen a police procedural like 'Law and Order' or 'CSI' knows that the standards of evidence in a criminal prosecution are quite strict. In the Landis case, the standards were much less stringent. In fact, had he been tried in a court of law, the case would most likely have been dismissed.

And, that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I'm proposing. The testing standards and chain of custody should be as strict as those in any court of law, if only to protect the integrity of the testing process, the defendant's rights, and our wavering faith in the anti-doping process. And to enforce that high standard, any athlete should have recourse to the court system in any doping controversy. If the anti-doping agencies have the power to ruin an athlete's reputation and destroy him financially, that athlete should have the right to bring charges against the agency, in effect, forcing them to act within the law. WADA has quasi-legal authority now because in order to participate in his sport, a professional athlete must submit to their testing regimen. The balance of power is too heavily weighted to the prosecution side.

This just in...

Eurosport

Tour de France - Landis verdict expected in days

Eurosport - Mon, 17 Sep 15:04:00 2007

Floyd Landis' doping verdict will be handed down within seven days after the panel judging the embattled 2006 Tour de France winner finished deliberating last week.

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• UCI stick with Valverde ban

"The arbitration panel ended its deliberations three days ago. They have 10 days to announce it so the decision will be known by next Monday at the latest," said Kelly Power, a representative for Landis' legal team.

Landis, who claimed a come-from-behind victory in last year's Grand Boucle thanks to a stunning solo stage win in the Alps, tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone during his stage 17 triumph.

Tour de France organisers have already disavowed him as champion, but if the US arbitration panel concludes that he is guilty the American would face a possible two-year suspension and would likely become the first winner to be stripped of his yellow jersey.

The September 23 deadline for the panel to air its ruling comes after it officially closed the hearing record on Thursday, nearly four months after the three-member panel heard evidence in a nine-day hearing.

Landis, who testified in the May hearing, has claimed that his test samples were mislabelled by the Châtenay-Mal French laboratory.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which is seeking the guilty verdict, has never lost a case on appeal.

Whichever side loses the case is likely to offer a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

My prediction...

The doping charges against Floyd Landis will be upheld by the arbitration panel, even if one of the lab technicians were to come forward and state that they mixed grape Kool-aid into his samples. The World Anti-Doping Agency cannot afford to lose a high profile case such as this, particularly since the Beijing Olympics are only a year away. Billions of dollars are at stake. Billions.

Remember the golden rule - those with the gold make the rules. Floyd will be steamrollered. He will be crushed because he stands in the way of all those billions. His innocence or guilt are irrelevant to the money interests.

A week from now, perhaps I'll be proved wrong. I certainly hope so.