Latest L. Armstrong controversy

I am also puzzled by the reports and would like to hear more details before I know what I'm thinking. The part that caught my attention is that his steroid level tested high, considered beyond the norm for naturally occuring hormones, after Stage 17. Huh? Only Stage 17? That does not sound consistent with my understanding of how steroids are used to cheat effectively. If you are going to get the benefit of steroids, you use them while you are training for competition, and taper off (so you don't get caught) as the race approaches. You clearly get no benefit by staying off them, and then suddenly downing a whole bunch right in the middle of a competition. If my understanding is correct (medical types, please feel free to chime in), why in the world would he pop, but only in one test in the middle of the race? If he was on them, he ought to be showing steroid levels that are roughly consistent at every test over the course of the race. If we have one result that substantially differs from all his other drug tests, in a substance that confers no significant benefit if taken once on the day of the competition, I have to wonder about the validity of the test. So, I'm holding my judgment. However, if on the heels of cycling's well established history of drug cheating, if on the heels of large chunks of the pre-race favorites getting tossed out of the race because of credible evidence they were drug cheats, we now have verified info the winner of this year's tour was a drug cheat, I have a very hard time taking professional cycling seriously as a sport I'd care to follow. Matt

I am also puzzled by the reports and would like to hear more details before I know what I'm thinking. The part that caught my attention is that his steroid level tested high, considered beyond the norm for naturally occuring hormones, after Stage 17. Huh? Only Stage 17? That does not sound consistent with my understanding of how steroids are used to cheat effectively. If you are going to get the benefit of steroids, you use them while you are training for competition, and taper off (so you don't get caught) as the race approaches. You clearly get no benefit by staying off them, and then suddenly downing a whole bunch right in the middle of a competition. If my understanding is correct (medical types, please feel free to chime in), why in the world would he pop, but only in one test in the middle of the race? If he was on them, he ought to be showing steroid levels that are roughly consistent at every test over the course of the race. If we have one result that substantially differs from all his other drug tests, in a substance that confers no significant benefit if taken once on the day of the competition, I have to wonder about the validity of the test. So, I'm holding my judgment. However, if on the heels of cycling's well established history of drug cheating, if on the heels of large chunks of the pre-race favorites getting tossed out of the race because of credible evidence they were drug cheats, we now have verified info the winner of this year's tour was a drug cheat, I have a very hard time taking professional cycling seriously as a sport I'd care to follow. Matt