Quick Hits: Swimming Around Governors Island; Landis is a MAN

- There's lots of stuff going on at Governors Island, like the golf tournament later this year, but this Saturday, 100 plus swimmers will be participating in the Governors Island Swim, a two-mile swim around Governors Island. The race starts at 8 a.m. in front Castle Williams, with competitors swimming south (counterclockwise) around the island. Organizers expect the race to be finished at about 8:30! While this is something that could be fun to watch - laughing at the stragglers from dry land, for example - the first ferry to Governors Island isn't until 10 a.m and half the island is closed to the public. If you do want to visit, the ferry is free this summer, so there's no reason not to check out the abandoned Army and Coast Guard station. Warning: there's a hot dog monopoly on the island.

- In news from the cycling world, it seems like Floyd Landis' amazing victory in the Tour de France has some "issues". It's reported that Landis tested positive for testosterone. And here Gothamist just thought he was just a man's man. Landis' team, Phonak, released a statement saying that Landis tested positive for "an unusual level of testosterone/epitestosterone" and that he was suspended pending the results of his backup test sample. The test was taken after stage 17 of the race, the race that brought Landis back from the brink of defeat and was called one of the best stages in Tour history. If it's confirmed that Landis did have testosterone in his blood, would that explain how he went from a horrible finish in stage 16 to the comeback he had in 17?

Photograph of Castle Williams by Tien Mao

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By tien mao on July 27, 2006 2:02 PM

Comments [rss]

Brooklyn Book Worm

As one might expect, NPR gave a thorough analysis. The anomolous test results concerned not the absolute level of testosterone but the RATIO of testosterone to epitesterone, which has no known affect on physical performance. In other words, the testerone level could be high OR the epitestestone level could be low. To further complicate the issue, both of these steroids are normally produced in the body (especially in the bodies of elite athletes), and ratios can be distorted by extreme athletic activity.

Landis insists that he took no pills and had no shots before the controversial 17th stage. Endocrinilogists also insist that testerone could not possibly be a one-day booster. Over a period of several weeks, testosterone injections could produce additional growth in muscle mass, but they would have little or no effect on the day of an injection.

All in all, it looks like the latest outbreak of "Attack the winner" at the Tour de France.

laura

I wouldn't dip my big toe in that water.

Good luck to them.

Biker

Landis was tested 6 times during the tour, 4 of which were during the last week. The fact that one sample comes back with excessive testosterone makes no sense, especially if he HAD been doping, as testosterone has a half-life of up to 12 days. And doing a one-time injection also makes no sense, as testosterone takes weeks to work. I don't really trust the test. Landis is also has hypothyroidism, which can really mess up your entire endocrine system if its out of whack....

jesus christ

NOOO. we must protect Landis and everything he represents: Lying and cheating and clawing your way to the top under the veneer of society's virtues.

Ace

Floyd: say it ain't so!

Tim N.

"...laughing at the stragglers from dry land, for example..."

You have my kind of sense of humor, Tien.

As for Landis, man, this would be bad. Here's hoping it's all a mistake, but...

From ESPN.com, a little while ago:

"Cycling analyst John Eustice thinks Floyd Landis' testosterone test could be a false positive. Landis' testosterone levels were low; just the ratio was off. Landis' cortisone shots or beer drinking could affect that, Eustice said on The Dan Patrick Show."

I always thought beer had the opposite effect on your testosterone, but like I said, here's hoping...

Vin

If it's true, then so much for Landis' uplifting story to bring cycling out of the entire doping episode.

His mother's comments on the news is pretty harsh on him. Those Mennonites are strict!