Re: Scientific American on Landis and Testosterone


Jim Flom wrote:
"Feld" <bafeld22@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:i4Wdna81R7pgI0jbnZ2dnUVZ_t6onZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=84EC9327-E7F2-99DF-3275ED1BD923D659

The bottom line being:
"In other words, testosterone would not be used so much for recovery and
increased work output during a single Tour stage as it would be for
maintenance and improved performance over the course of the entire race."

Which is consistent with what happened. Judging from the test results,
he was on a maintenance dose of testosterone to keep his ratio close,
but under 4:1, to systemically maintain muscle mass and improve
recovery, not to provide "miracle" stage-to-stage results.

After his bonk/dehydration/collapse on stage 16, he received his
maintenance dose that night, which due to the effects of the day's
stage was excessive, and he tested positive (exceeded 4:1 T/E ratio)
on stage 17. This resulted in his "A" sample being carbon isotope
tested, which showed the presence of exogenous testosterone, and was
verified by the "B" sample.

Though it took a while, WADA/USADA/UCI (one of these guys) finally
decided to look at Floyd's samples from earlier stages, where his T/E
ratio was below 4:1, with the carbon isotope test. All of these
samples showed the presence of exogenous testosterone, which is what
you'd expect from someone who was taking a maintenance dose of
testosterone to stay near a 4:1 level.

The dose he took wasn't responsible for his recovery nor his
performance on stage 17, other than the systemic effect it had on his
ability to recover. I suggest that if you took all of the negative "A"
samples from the top 20 in the TdF in 2006, and carbon isotope tested
them, you'd find exogenous testosterone in most of them. It most
likely was a level (but elevated) playing field. Floyd just got
caught. IMO, he should be cleared of the charge, however, because WADA
and the lab violated their own testing protocol and privacy rules.

Despite the many positive tests this year, as long as there are drugs
that aren't detectable by the tests regularly administered, that
produce positive effects on performance and recovery, riders will
continue to take them. Cheating is human nature, no amount of
moralizing, draconian penalties, or crusading against it will
completely eliminate it, no matter how poor the cost/benefits analysis
comes out. Just part of all sport, and all human competition, for
that matter.

.

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