It’s been a tawdry week for professional road cycling. French authorities issued an arrest warrant for disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 title after testing positive for abnormal levels of testosterone, alleging him of computer hacking to gather evidence to refute the doping charges. And Joe Papp, a former pro cyclist and admitted doper, pleaded guilty to selling EPO and human growth hormone, both of which are banned substances.

Bicycling Magazine’s Joe Lindsey, whose Boulder Report blog is the clearest, most insightful, and most thoughtful of coverage pro racing you’ll find, has a number of excellent posts on the week and Landis. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of professional cycling, Lindsey’s coverage is so thorough, reasoned, and well written that you’ll find yourself pulled in. He covers Landis’s warrant here, Papp’s plea here, and addresses Landis’s odd fortunes since last year’s comeback here.

As for Papp, he recently wrote a story on the Cozy Beehive blog highlighting six methods pro cyclists used to outwit anti-doping forces. They are:

1. Mask EPO With Enzymes. The cyclist stashes an enzyme called protease in his jersey, dips his fingers in the powder before giving his urine sample, then urinates over his fingers into the sample bottle.

2. Mask Dope With Illegal Powders. Papp doesn’t specify the powders or what they’re hiding—what’s compelling is how the trick is pulled off: The powder is packed into a solid the size of a grain of rice, which is inserted into the urethra of the penis before the urine sample is give. Um, ouch.

3. Take EPO In Micro-doses. Allows riders to keep slightly elevated levels of hemacrits at all times.

4. Substitute Urine. Powdered synthetic urine is kept on hand and mixed with water when needed. The challenge is distracting the testers so you can make the switch.

5. Bribery. A little baksheesh goes a long way. Or a lot of baksheesh goes just far enough.

6. Hide. They can’t test you if they can’t find you.

Papp’s story is worth reading in full, particularly for the comments, many of which are from former pro cyclists and their doctors. LINK

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WANT MORE?
The Adventure Life interviewed Landis last year as he was beginning his comeback. LINK

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My friend Andrew Tilin wrote a fascinating profile on Papp for Outside. LINK

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Tagged as: cycling