Floyd Landis Bandwagon Effect

Rant writes an interesting article of press reaction to suspected dopers who protest their innocence too much. In this context it is important to look at the case(s) in detail for items of interest rather than to stereotype people.

Floyd Landis is a different case; compare to a person caught using the new red blood cell receptor activator (CERA) or traditional EPO. A confirmed test for EPO is a far cry from someone with a single suspect metabolite IRMS score above threshold for synthetic testosterone.

Blood doping cases, like Tyler Hamilton, are even harder to be certain about because if you consider the cost/benefit ratio, infections or allergic reactions to another persons' blood, you must ask this question; is a transfusion with the blood of another person worth a small increase in performance considering the risks to your health? There are simpler ways to blood dope. Use your own stored red blood cells. Hard to quantify why a doctor would use two blood cell populations and run such risks, except for a lack of a test to detect such things, of course.

And as is the case with the Floyd Landis testosterone case, the methods used by WADA labs were uncertain and of questionable scientific value in the Tyler Hamilton case.

Even so, in the Landis case, as Oliver Starr pointed out in Floyd Landis and the Magic Water Bottle III why use synthetic testosterone that can be detected when endogenous testosterone can be isolated and used? Is not endogenous testosterone undetectable? And as Oliver Starr so correctly said -- Landis was doping with power gels and water bottles. Hydration and replenishment with glucose at a whim from his team car, while his competition was dehydrated and spent. Very strange tactics from a doper who needed synthetic testosterone to win the Tour de France.

So there is the distinction; known prohibited substances with exact chemical signatures where a known performance enhancement is documented versus exogenous substances where a team doctor is rolling the dice with an athletes' professional career. Alexander Vinokurov caught manipulating his blood and suspended, the Astana team withdraws from the Tour de France in disgrace. Tyler Hamilton caught also, he denies the accusations, is suspended for two years. The Olympic time trial gold medal he won would have been stripped from him except for a frozen blood sample. Hamilton comes back to win the Stars and Stripes as national road race champion then refuses to race in the Worlds. Damn doper. Tyler Hamilton may be a disgrace but he served his suspension so he deserves a second chance with Rock Racing. Last summer at the Tour of Utah I applauded everyone, including Tyler Hamilton and Rock Racing during the downtown Salt Lake City criterium stage. When Floyd Landis returns with OUCH as the bionic man, if they race the Tour of Utah, I will applaud him also.

Because if there are distinctions between those who should be condemned and those who should be pardoned it is all in context. Kayle Leogrande allegedly doped with EPO and then he tried to defeat the test by handling soap. The United States national criterium champion, no less. Rock Racing refused to extend his contract, what a surprise. Disgraceful. Others have admitted their subterfuge and deserve condemnation. Eric Zable, cheated to win the sprint point jersey, retired. David Millar, cheated to win the UCI time trial championship, suspended. Ivan Basso of Operation Puerto fame, blood manipulation, winner of the Giro d' Italia, suspended. Terrible these people who cheated to win but who are allowed to continue in the professional peloton. Others of note who were lauded by cycling fans, Richard Virenque, of Festina Affair fame. Willey Voet caught at the French Border in a team car loaded with EPO and other performance enhancers. Tearful denials by Virenque until he confessed. The beloved French rider continued to race to the cheers of French cycling fans and win several King of the Mountain Prizes, none taken away by ASO, in spite of his crimes. Sure, punish the dopers without exception, they all deserve equal treatment.

Which leads me back to Floyd Landis.

Floyd Landis has signed a contract with OUCH and is ready to race in 2009. But first the Court of Arbitration of Sport has insisted that Floyd Landis pay USADA a $100,000 fine before Steve Johnson and USA Cycling will issue him a license.

Floyd Landis has been dealt a bad hand since the first. An extended suspension of six months because he raced the Leadville 100, although the race was not officially sanctioned by USA cycling and the money raised was donated to charity. After Leadville Floyd Landis signed a declaration that he would voluntarily end competition, thus the additional six month suspension. In most cases the suspension starts at the time the "B" sample confirmation test.

Then Mr. Landis was denied documentary evidence by USADA he requested to prepare his defense. Thus Mr. Landis was required to engage in unnecessary discovery battles at great expense. The AAA Panel said in the Award that this sort of legal wrangling was normal, nothing to be concerned about. The AAA Panel certainly was not prepared to punish Travis T. Tygart and USADA for obstructionist tactics no matter how much Floyd Landis paid his defense team for wasted time and effort to combat the Chatenay-Malabry shotgun approach of adherence to WADA code and ISL standards.

But, the Court of Arbitration of Sport used a different tactic and punished Floyd Landis with a $100,000 fine because he contested Chatenay-Malabry causing USADA to spend large amounts of cash to defend a WADA lab. If the test results and the methods to derive them would have been incontestable there would have been no reason for Floyd Landis to fight. USADA, WADA, and AFLD would have not needed to defend. AFLD would not have had to run to a COFRAC audit to explain away everything. The CAS would not have had to condemn Maurice Suh and Floyd Landis for causing USADA unwanted expense to defend a "defamation" of Chatney-Malabry.

So, who can blame Floyd Landis for suing to restore his honor under these circumstances? Without the International Olympic Committee umbrella which allows approximations to WADA code by WADA labs, who knows, maybe the United States Federal Courts will tell a United States taxpayer funded organization like the United States Anti-Doping Agency to vacate the fine and the award.

Meanwhile people who weigh the evidence first and condemn the dopers based on facts, not speculation, or psychological stereotypes, want to tell you that not everyone who tests positive is a punk bent on deception, greed and avarice. Landis is innocent and deserves respect. David Millar is guilty and deserves contempt. Landis deserves a USA racing license, Millar deserves to be expelled from UCI sanctioned races. Very simple, non?

So, the bandwagon stereotype effect does not work in cycling. The dopers motivations are different, the reactions to dopers are different, the outcomes are different. Some like David Millar, Eric Zabel, and Richard Virenque are praised. Some like Floyd Landis are vilified. Dopers caught red handed and who confess are praised as saints. Cyclists who are caught in a web of bad science and questionable results are spoken of as liars. The innocent doth protest too much. Go figure.

Maybe Floyd Landis should have followed the advice of Pat McQuaid; shut up and take the punishment. Others would have been expected to do the same. All would be suspended, the guilty and innocent. The UCI, WADA, AFLD, and USADA would continue to win cases unchallenged.

Sadly, unlike a convicted murderer who is exonerated after twenty-five years on death row by DNA evidence after untold suffering...life for a "doper" would go on.

Author note: See the action photos of Floyd Landis at the Leadville 100 (see comments) provided by Ultra Rob. Ultra Rob also pointed out an obvious error, the Leadville 100 is sanctioned by NORBA, which is a part of USA Cycling. Since Floyd Landis signed a voluntary non-participation agreement after the Leadville 100 race, this may have been the basis for the extra six month suspension given Landis by the AAA and CAS Panels.