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Mark Lillie Radio Talk
Friday, 28 July 2006
Landis says testosterone levels that triggered drug test are natural
By MAR ROMAN, Associated Press Writer July 28, 2006 MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Floyd Landis said the high testosterone that showed up in a drug screening at the Tour de France is the result of his natural metabolism -- not doping of any kind -- and he will undergo more tests to prove it. "We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case but a natural occurrence," Landis said at a news conference Friday, his first public appearance since the test result cast doubt on one of the most stirring comeback wins in Tour history. Landis said in a Thursday teleconference that he had no idea what caused his elevated testosterone levels following the race's 17th stage last week, where he made his heroic charge into the Alps. But on Friday, he was adamant that the reading was the result of his natural physiology. "I would like to make absolutely clear that I am not in any doping process," said Landis, wearing a baseball cap turned backward and a white shirt with the name of his Phonak team. "I ask not to be judged by anyone, much less sentenced by anyone." Landis is still awaiting results from a backup sample, which will clear him if found to be negative. Switzerland-based Phonak said it would ask that the backup sample be tested in the next few days. Landis's lawyer, Luis Sanz, said he fully expected the backup test to come back with the same result, since the elevated testosterone was produced naturally by Landis's body. The 30-year-old cyclist said Friday that he would undergo additional testing to prove it. "I will procede to under go all these tests ... to accredit that the levels that I've had during the Tour and all my career are natural and produced by my own organism," he said. Until those tests are conducted, Landis said, "I ask not to be judged, or much less to be sentenced by anyone." If ultimately proven guilty, he could be stripped of the Tour title and fired from the team. The team suspended Landis after the International Cycling Union notified it Wednesday that he had an "unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when his test was taken last Thursday, the day he staked his comeback in the Alps. Landis, a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, said he was shocked when told of the initial positive result. He said he had been tested six other times during the tour, and many other times during the year. His voice was subdued and at times downcast on the Thursday call, when he said he expected to clear his name but never to truly shake the disgrace of doping. But Landis turned defiant in his Friday appearance, chastising the media for implying that he was accused of doping and defending himself as an honest competitor who devoted his life to his sport. "I declare convincingly and categorically that my winning the Tour de France has been exclusively due to many years of training and my complete devotion to cycling," he said. "I was the strongest guy. I deserved to win, and I'm proud of it." Landis' positive test rocked the cycling world, already under a cloud following a wide-ranging doping investigation in Spain that led to the barring of several of the world's leading cyclists from the Tour. On the eve of the Tour's start, nine riders -- including pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso -- were ousted, implicated in a Spanish doping investigation. Their names turned up on a list of 56 cyclists who allegedly had contact with a Spanish at the center of the probe. Landis was not implicated in that investigation.
Posted by djsource1
at 12:06 PM PDT
Thursday, 27 July 2006
Christian radio To Porn Radio...
KINGSBURG, Calif. (AP) - A Central Valley radio station that once broadcast Christian music, sermons and Bible stories was edged out by a new format centered on sex. "Porn Radio" has replaced the religious radio format at KFYE-FM. The station was sold earlier this month and now promotes "all sex radio, all the time," by way of songs with suggestive titles and lyrics. The playlist includes "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" by The Beatles, "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and "Nasty" by Janet Jackson. Tamer songs are heated up by adding recorded moans and groans. "It would appear this is another of those promotions that are simply designed to create controversy," said longtime Fresno radio personality Ed Beckman. "This format belongs on Sirius or XM, not on over-the-air." The station tries not to cross the line, said owner Jerry Clifton.
Posted by djsource1
at 10:02 PM PDT
Landis Win Thrown Into Question
LONDON (AP) - Floyd Landis' stunning Tour de France victory just four days earlier was thrown into question Thursday when his team said he tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race. The Phonak team suspended Landis, pending results of the backup "B" sample of his drug test. If Landis is found guilty of doping, he could be stripped of the Tour title, and Spain's Oscar Pereiro would become champion. It wasn't immediately known when the backup sample will be tested. The Swiss-based Phonak team said it was notified by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Wednesday that Landis' sample showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when he was tested after stage 17 of the race last Thursday. "The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result," the Phonak statement said. Efforts to reach Landis were not immediately successful. The 30-year-old Landis made a remarkable comeback in that Alpine stage, racing far ahead of the field for a solo win that moved him from 11th to third in the overall standings. He regained the leader's yellow jersey two days later. Landis rode the Tour with a degenerative hip condition that he has said will require surgery in the coming weeks or months. Arlene Landis, his mother, said Thursday that she wouldn't blame her son if he was taking medication to treat the pain in his injured hip, but "if it's something worse than that, then he doesn't deserve to win." "I didn't talk to him since that hit the fan, but I'm keeping things even keel until I know what the facts are," she told The Associated Press in a phone interview from her home in Farmersville, Pennsylvania. "I know that this is a temptation to every rider but I'm not going to jump to conclusions ... It disappoints me." The Phonak statement came a day after the UCI, cycling's world governing body, said an unidentified rider had failed a drug test during the Tour. Phonak said Landis would ask for an analysis of his backup sample "to prove either that this result is coming from a natural process or that this is resulting from a mistake." Phonak said Landis has been suspended and that he will be fired if the second sample confirms the initial finding. USA Cycling spokesman Andy Lee said that organization could not comment on Landis. "Because it's an anti-doping matter, it's USA Cycling's policy not to comment on that subject out of respect for the process and Floyd's rights," Lee said. "Right now, we have to let the process proceed and we can't comment on it." Carla O'Connell, publications and communications director for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said: "I'll make this very brief: No comment." UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani said Landis was notified of the test Wednesday morning. He said the cycling body doesn't require analysis of the "B" sample, but that Landis requested it. "We are confident in the first (test)," Carpani said. "For us, the first one is already good." Under World Anti-Doping Agency regulations, a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone greater than 4:1 is considered a positive result and subject to investigation. The threshold was recently lowered from 6:1. The most likely natural ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in humans is 1:1. Testosterone is included as an anabolic steroid on WADA's list of banned substances, and its use can be punished by a two-year ban. Landis wrapped up his Tour de France win on Sunday, keeping the title in U.S. hands for the eighth straight year. Lance Armstrong, long dogged by doping whispers and allegations, won the previous seven. Armstrong never has tested positive for drugs and vehemently has denied doping. On Thursday, Armstrong was riding in RAGBRAI, an annual bike ride across Iowa that attracts thousands of riders. At the first break in Sully, Iowa, about 50 miles southeast of Des Moines, Armstrong had little to say at the Coffee Cup Cafe, where he grabbed a slice of coconut cream pie and a big glass of ice water. When asked about Landis, Armstrong told The Associated Press: "I'm not here to talk about that." Landis' inspiring Tour ride reminded many of fellow American Tyler Hamilton's gritty 2003 performance. Hamilton, riding for team CSC, broke his collarbone on the first day of the Tour but rode on, despite the pain, and finished fourth overall. But, a year later, Hamilton, then riding for Phonak, tested positive for blood doping at a Spanish race and now is serving a two-year ban. He has denied blood doping. Speculation that Landis had tested positive spread earlier Thursday after he failed to show up for a one-day race in Denmark on Thursday. A day earlier, he missed a scheduled event in the Netherlands. On the eve of the Tour's start, nine riders - including pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso - were ousted, implicated in a Spanish doping investigation. The names of Ullrich and Basso turned up on a list of 56 cyclists who allegedly had contact with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who's at the center of the Spanish doping probe. World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound, speaking before Landis was confirmed as the rider with the positive test, said it was amazing any cyclist would risk doping after the scandals that rocked the Tour before the start. "Despite all the fuss prior to the race with all these riders identified and withdrawn, you still have people in that race quite willing and prepared to cheat," he told the AP by phone from Montreal. "That's a problem for cycling."
Posted by djsource1
at 11:08 AM PDT
Landis Tested Positive For High Levels Of Testosterone
Now Playing: This Blog's Moderator Is Presently Givining Landis The Benefit Of The Doubt..
LONDON (AP) - Tour de France champion Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race, his Phonak team said Thursday. The statement came a day after the UCI, cycling's governing body, said an unidentified rider had failed a drug test during the Tour. The Swiss-based Phonak said in a statement on it Web site that it was notified by the UCI Wednesday that Landis' sample showed "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" when he was tested after stage 17 of the race last Thursday. It was on that mountain stage where Landis staged a stunning solo breakaway to overcome a huge deficit and put himself in position to win the Tour. "The team management and the rider were both totally surprised of this physiological result," the statement said. Phonak said Landis would ask for analysis of his backup "B" sample "to prove either that this result is coming from a natural process or that this is resulting from a mistake." Landis has been suspended by the team pending the results. If the second sample confirms the initial finding, he will be fired from the team, Phonak said. Landis won the Tour de France on Sunday, keeping the title in U.S. hands for the eighth straight year. Lance Armstrong, long dogged by doping whispers and reports that he has vehemently denied, won the previous seven. Landis went into the 17th stage in 11th place, trailing Spain's Oscar Pereiro by more than eight minutes after cracking badly in the previous day's stage. But he went on the offensive on one of the hardest Alpine stages, breaking free of the pack and racing to a spectacular solo victory in Morzine. That performance vaulted Landis into third place overall, within 30 seconds of the lead. He claimed the leader's jersey in the time trial on Saturday and cruised to victory the next day with a 57-second advantage on the Champs-Elysees. Pereiro finished second and Germany's Andreas Kloden third. Speculation that Landis may have tested positive spread earlier Thursday after he failed to show up for a one-day race in Denmark on Thursday. A day earlier, he missed a scheduled event in the Netherlands. On the eve of the Tour's start, nine riders — including pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso — were ousted, implicated in a Spanish doping investigation. The names of Ullrich and Basso turned up on a list of 56 cyclists who allegedly had contact with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who's at the center of the Spanish doping probe.
Posted by djsource1
at 9:40 AM PDT
Sunday, 23 July 2006
Landis Wins Tour de France
Tour de France final standings | | Tour de France final standings | |
| July 23, 2006 Thor Hushovd wins the 20th stage. The following are the top 10 cyclists: 1. Floyd Landis (USA), 89 hours, 39 minutes, 30 seconds 2. Oscar Pereiro (ESP) 0:57 3. Andreas Kloden (GER) 1:29 4. Carlos Sastre (ESP) 3:13 5. Cadel Evans (AUS) 5:08 6. Denis Menchov (RUS) 7:06 7. Cyril Dessel (FRA) 8:41 8. Christophe Moreau (FRA) 9:37 9. Haimar Zubeldia (ESP) 12:05 10. Michael Rogers (AUS) 15:07 |
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Posted by djsource1
at 10:34 AM PDT
Updated: Sunday, 23 July 2006 10:37 AM PDT
Saturday, 22 July 2006
Landis Wears Yellow Into Paris
| Landis regains yellow jersey, and victory awaits in Paris | |
By JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press Writer
July 22, 2006 MONTCEAU-LES-MINES, France (AP) -- Floyd Landis' wild ride through France should end in the sweetest way possible Sunday on the Champs-Elysees -- barring a crazy finale and as long as his hip holds out. In this Tour de France anything can happen. With yet another stunning comeback in the final time trial, Landis reclaimed the famed yellow jersey of the Tour de France leader Saturday along with a 59-second lead that should land him atop the victory podium in Paris. The American would be picking up where another Yank left off just last year, when Lance Armstrong completed his seventh and final Tour triumph. "I could not be happier," Landis said. "It's one of the best days of my life." The Phonak team leader, who trailed former teammate Oscar Pereiro of Spain by 30 seconds before the penultimate Stage 19, outpaced the Spaniard by 1 minute, 29 seconds in the race against the clock. Overall, Pereiro fell to second, 59 seconds behind Landis, while German rider Andreas Kloeden, 1:29 back, pushed Spaniard Carlos Sastre off the podium into fourth. Sunday's ride could be the most anticlimactic moment of this unpredictable Tour, marked by Landis' bizarre performance swings -- from despair to elation -- and news that he's been riding with an arthritic hip. Landis and Pereiro have taken turns wearing yellow four times since Landis first won it in the Pyrenees after Stage 11. Seven riders have worn the jersey this time -- one short of the record. "Hopefully, I won't give it away again," Landis said. "But I do think it's over now." Landis became an instant legend among many cycling fans with his rage-fueled comeback Thursday, when he won the last of three Alpine stages to move from 11th to third in the overall standings. After a strong ride Tuesday on the famed L'Alpe d'Huez ascent to take the leader's jersey for the second time in the Tour, Landis planned a conservative, Armstrong-like strategy. That didn't work out. Instead, he was forced to ride all-out after nearly crumbling in Wednesday's uphill finish in La Toussuire -- where he lost the lead and fell 8:08 behind Pereiro. The performance left him feeling "humiliation and depression," Landis said. A pep talk from five-time Tour winner and cycling icon Eddy Merckx, the father of his Phonak teammate Axel Merckx, helped. A once-in-a-lifetime ride -- "the best performance in the modern history of the Tour" according to race director Jean-Marie Leblanc -- revived Landis' sagging chances. In his first Tour stage win, Landis closed the time gap to an incredible 30 seconds. Saturday's time-trial was the finishing touch. Landis, who finished second in the stage 7 time trial, had been expected to do well. Pereiro, sensing his lead in danger, mustered a strong ride of his own, finishing fourth and 1:29 behind Landis. It wasn't enough. "When the yellow jersey is on the line, people get inspired," Landis said. "I think we all learned a lesson in persistence." Ukraine's Serhiy Honchar won the time-trial, by dominating the field just as he had in the first time trial two weeks ago. Honchar finished the 35.4-mile course from Le Creusot to Montceau-les-Mines in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 46 seconds. Germany's Kloeden was second, 41 seconds back. Landis placed third, 1:11 off the winner's pace. The Tour got its first jolt on the eve of the July 1 start, when prerace favorites Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, plus seven other riders, were sent home after they were implicated in a Spanish doping investigation. Asked about those riders, Landis got a bit short-tempered. "It was an unfortunate situation for all of us," Landis said, "and none of us in any way got any satisfaction out of the fact that they're not here." The bum hip will be Landis' first order of business once the race ends. He plans to have surgery this fall to ease the lingering pain in his right hip, damaged in a 2003 crash. Winning the Tour before the hip replacement surgery would make it even sweeter. "I'll fight as hard as I have in this race to come back next year, or the following year -- whatever it takes -- to be here again," he said. An acolyte of Armstrong for three years on the U.S. Postal Service squad, Landis said that stint was vital in learning how to ride to win and focus on a single leader. Landis grew up in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, the son of Mennonites. He said he was too "high-strung" for the religion, which shuns organized sports and fame-seeking. As a boy, his parents tried to discourage him from riding his bike. Now, he's at the sport's pinnacle. "At least the people watching got a good show," said Landis, who was raised without a TV at home. "It was probably better for television than it was for us." Landis, unlike Armstrong, speaks little French. He says his vocabulary consists of the words for "beer" and "coffee." Still, his performance has endeared him to fans, and he has made it a point to master one phrase -- "Merci beaucoup." Updated on Saturday, Jul 22, 2006 7:17 pm EDT |
Posted by djsource1
at 7:59 PM PDT
Friday, 21 July 2006
Landis Still 3rd..Running Out Of Time For The Yellow
| Landis in race against time for yellow jersey | |
by Justin Davis
July 21, 2006 OLN & Yahoo! Sports:  Stage 18 Highlights Stage 19 Preview MACON, France (AFP) - American Floyd Landis will take another step towards the Tour de France yellow jersey on Saturday's decisive time trial hoping to avoid the kind of hiccup that could cost him precious seconds. Phonak's Landis dramatically resurrected his bid to succeed former team-mate and compatriot Lance Armstrong with a daring solo raid and victory on the 200.5km 17th stage on Thursday. Before the start of Friday's 18th stage, in which the main yellow jersey contenders are likely to save their energy for the race against the clock, Landis was in third place at 30sec behind Oscar Pereiro, with Carlos Sastre in second overall at 12sec behind his fellow Spaniard. It is a deficit which most expect to see disappear when the 30-year-old Landis bombs his way over 57km of undulating terrain between Le Creusot and Montceau-Les-Mines. In the Tour's first time trial Landis - whose race against the clock has come on leaps and bounds this year - finished second at 1min 01sec behind Ukrainian specialist Serhiy Honchar on a flatter course of 52km. The 36-year-old T-Mobile rider blew the race apart, although after three tough days in the Alps he could be missing freshness. Pereiro, of Caisse d'Epargne, finished 2:41 behind Honchar meaning just over a minute and a half behind Landis. The pair are former teammates, Pereiro having rode with Phonak for four years during which time he finished 10th overall on the Tour in the past two editions. However it is stark reality, and not their friendship which had Pereiro admitting: "Normally, Floyd should win the time trial. For me, it will be a bit more complicated." CSC's Carlos Sastre did slightly better than his Spanish compatriot in the first race against the clock, finishing 1:10 behind Landis. On Thursday, he capped his own daring solo attack on the climb to Morzine to retain second place overall and later rolled out the plaudits for Landis. "He tried everything and he's rode back into the race now. Maybe he's the favourite for the time trial," said Sastre. The final stage to Paris on Sunday is usually one of festivity although if only a handful of seconds separate the contenders then it could be race all the way to the capital. Ahead of Saturday, it is effectively a three-horse race to the yellow jersey - one which has changed hands nine times since the start of what has been a spectacular race. Landis meanwhile can not stop smiling. But on Saturday he will be keen to avoid the same hiccup which compromised his first time trial - losing around 17 seconds after deciding to change a wheel at the last minute when he noticed a slight cut on the tyre. "The only thing left is the time trial. I'm pretty confident in my time trialling ability," he said. "As long as I turn up on time and don't have to change my wheel it should go okay." Updated on Friday, Jul 21, 2006 10:39 am EDT |
Posted by djsource1
at 5:39 PM PDT
Thursday, 20 July 2006
Wednesday, 19 July 2006
Landis Cracks...Falls To 11th
Mood:
 down
 Michael Rasmussen won the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday. Floyd Landis no longer holds the overall lead...
By Jean-Paul Couret LA TOUSSUIRE, France, July 19 (Reuters) - American Floyd Landis lost the Tour de France on Wednesday when he cracked on the last ascent of Wednesday's mountain stage, won by Michael Rasmussen of Denmark. The former lieutenant of seven-times champion Lance Armstrong started the day with a 1O-second lead over Spaniard Oscar Pereiro but crossed the line at the summit of La Toussuire 10 minutes and four seconds off the pace and slipped to 11th overall. Pereiro will start Thursday's 17th stage from Saint-Jean de Maurienne to Morzine, which features four major climbs, one minute 50 seconds ahead of compatriot Carlos Sastre. "The truth is it was unthinkable that I could take the Tour after the Pyrenees," said Pereiro who held the yellow jersey after Saturday's 13th stage but was dispossessed by Landis on Tuesday. "In the Pyrenees everything fell apart for me, I thought I wouldn't have any other chances because I lost so much time in the overall but I got a second chance because they let me," he added. "Landis had a bad day today. I'll see what happens tomorrow (Thursday) before thinking about a final overall win." With four stages to go before the Champs-Elysees finale on July 23, the race is wide open with German Andreas Kloeden, Frenchman Cyril Dessel and Australian Cadel Evans less than three minutes adrift of Pereiro. On a day of high drama, Rasmussen, who was crowned King of the Mountains last year, claimed the polka-dot jersey from Spain's David de la Fuente. "Stage win, mountain jersey were both goals, one is not more important than the other. I did the entire stage by myself about a month ago, and I knew what was coming up," the Dane said. RASMUSSEN'S CHARGE The Rabobank climber mastered some of the highest passes in the Alps during an astounding 173-km ride in the lead and more than five hours in the saddle on a stifling hot day. He crossed the line 1:41 seconds ahead of Sastre (CSC). Pereiro was third, 1:54 adrift and two seconds ahead of Australian Cadel Evans (Davitamon) and German Andreas Kloeden (T-Mobile). Italian Daniele Bennati (Lampre), third in the best sprinter's standings pulled out 98 km from the finish, leaving Spaniard Oscar Freire (Rabobank) the only real rival to Australia's green jersey holder Robbie McEwen (Davitamon). Rasmussen escaped nine kilometres into the stage with Sandy Casar of France and Slovenia's Tadej Valjavec. They rode uphill from the start in Le Bourg d'Oisans to the hors category Galibier. Rasmussen charged to the summit at 2,645 metres, taking the 5,000 euros ($6,248) prize as winner of the "Henri Desgranges souvenir", a special award given to the first rider over the race's highest point in honour of the founder of the race. By then, the main bunch led by yellow jersey holder Landis was 4:40 adrift. Frenchman Sylvain Chavanel crashed spectacularly in the descent, slamming into a concrete barrier on a tight bend. After receiving medical treatment, the Cofidis rider resumed the race on a spare bike. Casar, who finished sixth in the Giro d'Italia, and Valjavec cracked on the next pass, the Croix de Fer. At the top of the Col du Mollard, Rasmussen was still riding high. He kept the rhythm on the last climb to La Toussuire while the battle for the yellow jersey was taking place a few bends behind him. Updated on Wednesday, Jul 19, 2006 1:19 pm EDT
Posted by djsource1
at 8:04 PM PDT
Tuesday, 18 July 2006
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