… is Landis’ insistence that he did not use testosterone during the Tour he won and was later disqualified from — for using testosterone.
From the story:
By that fall, Mr. Landis had decided to appeal the drug test, he said, because he hadn’t taken testosterone during the Tour. That, he believed, meant the whole testing protocol must have been scientifically unsound.
The implication here is that Landis, for all his earlier transgressions and current admissions, was disqualified on phony grounds. If so, it would confirm a suspicion we’ve long held that doping authorities regulate by choice rather than the book — playing favorites along the way. This would suggest a system of corruption extending far beyond the riders.
Why the UCI (governing body) would target Landis is a bit of a head-scratcher, though. His come-from-behind performance was a ride for the ages. One can only speculate that some undisclosed pressures or broken promises came to bear in the UCI’s action. (All this assuming that Landis is being truthful.)
By now, Landis has no reason to deceive on this key point. He’s not going to polish his image on this one contention. We’ll be intrigued to see if this aspect gets explained or explored further in the investigation.