July 27 (well, it started on the 27th). Still sitting at home...

Oh Floyd, say it ain't so.

Landis had his A sample from the 17th stage test positive for "unusual" levels of testosterone. That's the stage that he made his comeback after having such a horrible stage 16. Now they are going to test his B sample to see if it matches. If it does... he's stripped of his win, and cycling gets another black eye. (How many eyes does cycling have, anyway?)

I don't even know what to think about this right now. Floyd has always been touted as being a clean rider. If he actually was doping, how did he think he'd get away with it? If he wasn't, how did his test come out positive?

July 28. Friday.
Yeah, Mom, you're right that the day was soured by the TdF news. I wrote that stuff above, but didn't know where to go with it... so I just stopped.

Even if Floyd didn't do anything, and he can prove it (not sure that's possible), he'll always have that following him. And cycling will continue to have that stigma.

I really want to believe that he didn't. And if I don't read another word about it ever, I can hold on to that hope (I'll just crawl under that rock, now). I tell you, it really makes me want to give up on cycling. I don't want to follow it at all any more if everyone is doping. On the other hand, the guys that win (and are doping) are still faster than the guys that lose (and are doping). Now there's a great way to look at it.

As Lynne said, "Can't we have a hero?"

Very discouraging...

And how many other sports are like this? At the beginning of the Tour, a bunch of riders were thrown out for being associated with a particular doctor. They said that the doctor was also associated with other athletes in other sports (though no one was named). Are there any clean athletes in any sports? (I mean besides David Eckstein of the Cardinals). Soccer? Baseball? (Ha! Just kidding, baseball, right...) Basketball? Does cycling have such a bad name when it comes to drug use only because they test more thoroughly than any other sports? Wouldn't that be ironic: cycling is actually the cleanest sport out there, but since they actually happen to have a strict testing policy, they look dirty? I know, not likely.

Okay, enough already. Staying home from work again today. Got all dressed and ready to go to in today, but the back is still pretty sore, and it just seems like a bad idea to go in and potentially undo some of the healing that has been happening. And then I've got the weekend to really just sit around. Again. Some more. Oh boy.