Druggie?

Well, it looks like Landis might get stung for his alleged performance-enhancing drug use after all, as predicted by me immediately after his arrival at Morzine (Sat 22nd).

He has been busted with the "A" sample, with an 11:1 testosterone / epitestosterone level. The threshhold for suspicion in sport is around 6:1. And yet fans cry out: "shurely shome mishtake!" and he appoints a Spanish lawyer known for exploiting loopholes and getting athletes off the hook. The "B" sample could take up to 2 weeks for confirmation.

This week Landis has gone on record stating that prior to the miraculous ride to Morzine that secured the Tour he had a few beers and then whisky with his team-mates (alcohol consumption can apparently alter natural testosterone balance). Well excuse me for not believing him for a minute - a Pro tour team going out on the lash with a few days of TdF remaining? I think not, Floyd, and your bleating is starting to sound like the excuses of a guilty cheat.

Outside pro cycling, I have been wringing myself up and down the long way round from the office, which resulted in me being *so* tired I could barely get out of bed yesterday! The climb I do is pretty steep, but the killer is that the steepest part is the last 200m or so. There is also a faux-plat on the top for about another km. Ouchy. In support of this climbing effort (which normally takes me to about 180bpm) I have swapped wheels - out go the Classics Elite training wheels, in go the 28h Open Pro / Dura-Ace. Ha ha! Felt like I had a helpful fan pushing me along when I first changed. Amazing.

As soon as I can find a tube with a long enough valve, I'm going to sling the Spinergy Rev-X in the rear too, which should help a little. Have got a 100-miler with a steep climb at half way (Ditchling Beacon) booked for Sunday, but the b/b in my race bike has been really crunchy the last few days, so I may need to swap it out. Work going glacially slowly. Humph.