Landis decision comes down, people don’t want to face the facts
It is funny. Over 15 months of waiting. Blogs and sites arguing over the procedures used. A PR campaign waged by Floyd Landis, an entire website, Trust but Verify, dedicated to searching for the truth about the case, although heavily weighted towards Floyd’s innocence, and nobody wants to look at the simple facts.
No, why argue the simple facts when you can convince yourself this procedure wasn’t followed or that wasn’t a true positive. You might as well get more technical since you are on the losing side. Argue peaks and valleys. Argue documentation flaws. Say the majority is illogical, yet the dissent is crystal clear.
Here is the simple facts. In a 2-1 decision, Landis was found to have been a doper. Two of the three arbitrator found there to be enough evidence to suspend Floyd Landis. The one arbitrator Floyd supporters hang their hat on as having a “logical” analysis is the same guy that wanted us to believe Tyler Hamilton didn’t dope (if you believe that, I have some land I would like to sell you in the swamp). Everyone can keep arguing values, testing procedures, ect. The problem is we are all amateurs at one of the two phases. Either we don’t understand the science or we don’t understand how to read the reasoning of the opinion. It doesn’t matter, the vote is still 2-1. The majority believe not only did the IRMS proved a positive on the original samples, but also that the subsequent “B” samples from other stages found testosterone to be high.
Floyd supporters want to cite that there is no way that only some of the “B” samples could have been positive. After all, an expert stated as much. Keep hanging onto that shred. After all, the other experts didn’t have a problem with it. People may be experts in what tests are “supposed” to find, but did the expert stating the tests defied all science state that he knows about all forms of masking agents, synthetic drugs, ect. Of course not. After all, the cheats are always ahead of the testing. So, of course there will be times when some results turn out positive and others negative when a guy is cheating.
Sorry, I am breaking my own rule. The only fact that matters is 2-1. Two out of three arbitrators that adjudicate doping procedures for a living think he is guilty. So, the conspiracy against Floyd continues. It was the beer the night before. It is a French conspiracy. WADA broke its own rules. Pound is obnoxious. Sorry, no it was the lab. The Tour didn’t want another American. Hey, those weren’t even positive values. The arbitrators don’t understand the science.
I guess everyone else understand everything and the arbitrators don’t.
Maybe it is our arrogance as Americans that won’t let us believe he is guilty. After all, the “bad” guys dope. The East Germans. The Soviets. Not people from the USA. Well, okay, maybe that jerk Barry Bonds. Not a nice guy like Floyd though.
On a final note, it is entirely possible Floyd was doping and didn’t know it. After all, Floyd is an elite athlete. Elite athletes do as they are told. Train at power X. Ride for Y hours. Ride in intensity Z for K minutes. Move your bars back and up for time trials. Wear this helmet. He probably has tons of advisers. He probably takes tons of supplements and vitamins. Some of those might even be injected. He doesn’t question. He doesn’t know what is really in them. After all, he isn’t a scientist. He doesn’t fill the drink or the injection. He concentrates on becoming the fastest and fittest he can be. Maybe what is lost in all this sophistication is that Floyd, until all this happened, was a simple guy. Probably didn’t question all that much. He just did. After all, did his team come to his defense? No. They let him shake in the wind. This is the same team where Tyler tested positive. Maybe the team, its trainers, its director, all knew something Floyd didn’t. Maybe.
2-1.
November 29th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
So … my question is … if it was 2-1 Landis’ favor … what changes?
November 29th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
David,
I will be very happy if he wins. Unfortunately, he will still lose in the court of public opinion. It will most likely be viewed as a “technicality.” To be honest, I think the additional B samples are telling. Although not AAF, they do seem to show something not right was going on. Recently there was a article out of Switzerland that stated 49 of the 189 riders in the 2007 tour were most likely doping even though the tests didn’t rise to the standard of a positive test.
What changes? Well, he is vindicated I guess. Nothing really changes. It is just differing opinions. Often an appellate court or trial court can decided an issue one way and the Supreme Court goes the other way. That is why we have a process. I guess I will be forced then to always be in doubt, just the other way. He will be cleared, but I will always wonder if he was guilty. Now, I think he is guilty, but wonder if the system of testing failed.