How It Might Have Happened

The Alps

The hotel room was sparse. Typical for this part of France. Nestled in the Alps with beauty all around, but not high enough in the mountains to be considered a tourist hotel. "What the fu** were you thinking? You told me that the new program was foolproof. What the he** did we pay Lance's people for, anyway? Damn it!", exclaimed Floyd Landis to no one in particular. Although Landis' coach, Robbie Ventura, and his doctor from the States, Brent Kay were also in Landis' hotel room, Landis has been yelling and screaming at no one in particular. This had been going on for almost an hour. Each time that Ventura or Kay would try to calm Landis down he only seemed to get angrier.

He was furious because his body had given out on him during the bike race earlier that day. The bike race, the sixteenth of twenty daily races that combine to make up the Tour de France, had been a disaster for the Landis team. For the first two weeks of the three week Tour de France everything had gone according to the plan the three men had put together almost a year ago.

It was August of 2005, Lance Armstrong had just won his seventh consecutive Tour de France and the other bike racers were eager to see what would happen now that Armstrong had retired from racing. It was going to be a wide-open race and the rider with the best preparation would have a great opportunity for the fame and fortune that came with winning the world's most prestigious bicycling race.

During those weeks of August in 2005 the three men, Landis, Ventura and Kay, sat down to outline the steps required to position Landis for a Tour victory in 2006. Item number one was a doping program. Bike equipment and training regimens hardly vary from rider to rider or team to team. Even the latest trend in cycling, wind tunnel testing to find out what parts and what body position slices through the wind efficiently, can only yield a few seconds in the 2400 mile race. And even those few seconds were negated because every rider in the Tour was doing some type of wind tunnel testing. No, it was the rider with the best doping program that was going to win the race.

And this is why Floyd Landis was angry. He had spent years watching the masters, guys like Lance Armstrong and Roberto Heras, ride to victory via a highly technical and specialized doping program. He had spent years working for those guys, knowing that the razor thin difference between himself and them was the highly specialized concoction of performance enhancing drugs unavailable to any but the best financed and well-connected riders. But this was supposed to be Landis' year. Lance was gone, Landis was well-connected and wealthy, at least by cycling standards. He and his team had used that money and those connections to duplicate, at least as much as they could, Armstrong's program. Landis knew that Armstrong would never reveal in any detail his program. Armstrong had too much to lose if it became widely known that his fairytale story was based upon the poison apple that was performance enhancing drugs. Still, Landis had used some of the same doctors and many of the other people and organizations that make up the shadowy world of drug trafficking among cyclists and cycling teams.

How Floyd Landis found himself all alone and at the back of the group of racers earlier in the day was a mystery. Dr. Brent Kay, a sports medicine doctor who had worked with many Olympic and elite level athletes had assured Landis that the new program was the ticket. His experience had shown how to use steroids to build muscle mass and reduce fat, giving a rider an unwordly high strength to weight ratio, essential when climbing in the big mountains. How to use the synthetic blood known as EPO to increase oxygen delivery, thereby making a rider faster with more endurance. How to use a variety of stimulants to keep the rider focused and full of energy. And how to use testosterone to speed recovery, increase stamina and add aggression to the rider's arsenal of weapons. And most importantly, Dr. Kay knew from working with other athletes in other sports how best to mask, or hide, any traces of the illegal drugs from the doping control testers who always seemed nearby, ready to take a blood or urine sample.

Robbie Ventura had agreed with Dr. Kay's program. Ventura, a professional cyclist until very recently, had used his connections in the cycling world to confirm many of the new methods of combining many of these drugs to multiply their effects. He too, was becoming an expert on masking agents and other methods of fooling the testers. He knew for example, that the drug testers often watched as a cyclist pee'd into the sample cup - and that a way to beat that system was to use a prosthetic penis filled with clean urine. The device, used by many NFL and professional baseball players even had a humorous name, The Whizzinator. Humorous, but effective. He also knew of a new powder substance that could be placed under fingernails, or even passed from a 'handler' to the rider by a simple handshake. Having the powder on his hands or under his fingernails a rider could simply allow some of the powder to fall into the urine sample and it could reduce or eliminate the chance of any illegal drugs from showing up on the tests.

The Gameplan

The three of them had worked for almost a year. Testing a variety of dope concotions not only to see what immediate effects that they would have but also to build Landis' tolerance to the drugs so that they could ramp up the levels of the important EPO-steroid-testosterone mixture to a peak during week number two of the Tour.

Since the first week of the Tour was spent riding in the flat areas of France there was no need to peak your strength then. You could just sit in the pack and finish within seconds of each days winner. But in week two the mountains loomed. And that is where the Tour is won or lost. Instead of seconds separating riders it was minutes and sometimes hours. To peak here was your best chance for victory. You would need to maintain that peak for 6 or 7 days.

That is why the special three-week program of doping that ended roughly a week before the start of the Tour was so important. You had to get it right because every human body metabolizes drugs at a different rate. You couldn't simply copy rider A's program for rider B. It was also important to raise the levels of blood cells and testosterone so that the tests done immediately prior to the start of the Tour would show high, but not over the limit levels, as they would be used by doping control as a baseline with which to compare to samples taken during the race. And that is why the Landis team had gone through the program twice before in the 2006 season. Right before the Tour of California in February and again in April for the Tour of Georgia. The team knew that testing wasn't as stringent in the United States as it was in Europe. USA Cycling, the governing body for cyclists in the U.S. also had a vested interest in American riders doing well. So there would be no late night raids by doping control; busting down your hotel room door to take blood and pee. The team could push the limit with performance enhancing drugs and be confident that there would be no drug test failures. No, the team would be safe in the U.S. They had used those two races to fine-tune the program that was supposed to bring victory to them in the Tour de France.

But something had gone terribly wrong in France. Landis had felt great during the first fifteen days of racing. But that all changed on Stage 16, a day with many mountain climbs. Landis, usually one of the strongest climbers, had fallen behind at the base of the first climb and as the day wore on he lost more and more time. He looked, and was, weak, beleagured and bewildered. His strength should have been almost at it's peak and here he was, being dropped by mediocre riders. Even his own teammates couldn't go as slow as he was. Alone on the road, over nine minutes behind, he had decided to abandon the race. The Tour de France was over for Floyd Landis.

Off the back - alone and weak (note the flasher on the right)

Or was it? After Landis had finally settled down the three men went over what went wrong. "I think the unprecedented heat during the early stages wreaked havoc on your metabolism", speculated Dr. Brent Kay. "Your body was over-heated on at least four days and your fluid intake was much higher that we had anticipated". "And", added Robbie Ventura, "Your power output on those four days was 20% higher that we had planned for". "I think", said Kay, "that all of those factors have essentially pushed our program ahead by a week". "Meaning what?", asked Landis. "Meaning", answered Kay, "that your peak has come and gone."
Landis was incredulous, "What? For a year I've listened to you guys. I've swallowed more pills and have taken more injections thanks to you guys, than any one person should. Most times I didn't even ask what the hell it was that I was taking. 'Trust me' was all you guys ever said. And now where are we? I lost over nine minutes today. How on earth can we make that up? You guys didn't think it was going to be hot? That's the excuse?"
Dr. Kay did his best to answer, "Look, these programs are not fool proof. You know that. Sometimes guys take too much and fail a test. We agreed to be a little conservative during the final three week program so that there was no chance of a positive dope test. We can sit here and feel sorry for ourselves or we can figure out what we're going to do about it." "What do you mean", asked Landis, "is there something that we can do to pull back over nine minutes, and not get busted?"

It was a very good question, and one that Dr. Kay and Coach Ventura had discussed while Landis had dinner and a meeting with his cycling team. Kay and Ventura were both positioned to cash in on Landis' Tour victory. They had both gotten ample face-time on the television network, OLN, and they were both getting calls for interviews and quotes from major news outlets around the globe. Dr. Kay was going to break away from his medical partners back in San Diego to start his own sports medicine clinics, and Ventura, like Lance Armstrong's coach, Chris Charmichael before him, stood to make millions as a coach, product endorser and motivational speaker. With Landis' break-down earlier in the day the two were in a panic.

"We've got to do something", proposed Ventura. "I agree, "said Kay, "but we risk a positive doping test with any measures that we use that would be powerful enough to give Floyd a chance at gaining back nine minutes. There are only four stages left". "Yes", agreed Ventura, "but we know we can get two to three minutes on the time trail, so what we need is five or six minutes tomorrow". The next day's stage was the last race in the mountains and the only real chance for Landis, or any of the other riders, to breakaway from the main pack and try to gain time.
The two men went over everything that they knew about how to get an immediate boost in performance. Testosterone, they agreed, was the best supplement. Not only would it provide an immediate boost to a rider's strength, endurance and aggression, it also increased the body's ability to recover from hard efforts. And that was something that Floyd Landis was in desperate need of after today's difficulties. They also made some phone calls to individuals both in Europe and in the United States. Kay and Ventura needed a little advice on how to use a heavy dose of testosterone to give Landis a huge boost, but not fail a drug test.

Back in the hotel room with Landis the two men shared their plan; "We'll use a series of four testosterone patches as well as two injections", offered Kay. "Sounds like a pretty desperate measure", replied Landis. "Desperate times call for desperate measures", countered Ventura. "Look Floyd, with your hip operation looming there is no guarantee that you'll ever even ride in the Tour de France again, let alone be in a position to win it". Kay concurred, "We've talked about your hip before Floyd, I'm confident that you can make a full recovery but it may take two years and by then your best cycling days will be behind you. And that's if everything works perfectly. No one has ever had a hip replacement and then gone on to ride at the top level of cycling".

"What about doping control?", asked Landis. Dr, Kay's forehead furrowed, "We've been working on that. There are a number of things we can do but before we get into that let's weigh our options. Option one is that we do nothing. You won't win the race but you'll finish in the top ten. Respectable. Then we move forward with hip surgery and hope for the best". "I've finished top ten before. No one in the United States cares about top ten. It's win and be a hero or come in second and be a loser". "Agreed", said Ventura, "if we don't win your life will not change. Win and you become an instant celebrity and you can write your own ticket. This is what you've been working on your whole career. Right here, right now, is your best chance". Landis nodded in agreement and turned to Dr. Kay, "And the other options?".
"We can continue with the program we've been on all year, light doses of the good stuff along with light doses of the masking agents". "And what does that get me?", queried Landis. "Probably not what you need. I think we can get you recovered for tomorrow but all the other guys will be well recovered too. You can push yourself to the limit and hope for a stage win, but I just don't see a five or six minute comeback". Ventura added, "Based on your best rides in training, even if you can somehow match that tomorrow, I can see you gaining back a minute or two, but not six. You've ridden at close to your maximum power output and the other guys were still hanging on". Landis looked both worried and confused, "And option three?".

Kay and Ventura exchanged glances. "We have one shot", said Kay, "and it's risky. We'll do the four patches and two injections. One injection now to speed recovery and one four hours before the start. The patches we'll use in an alternating fashion. One patch on your left testicle for two hours, then one on your right. We'll do this twice". "That's new. Why haven't we done this before?", asked Landis. Kay was ready, "We've usually used just one patch overnight for recovery. EPO and steroids are what we use for racing ability, but there's not enough time to use either of those. They take too long to work. But Robbie and I have talked to a number of people tonight and they seem to agree that the patches secrete most of the testosterone in the first two hours. That's why we'll use four in total. And those along with the injections should give you a significant boost in energy and aggression". "So I'll be mad and fast", said Landis, staring out the window at the big mountains that he would need to climb tomorrow. "Exactly", smiled Ventura.

They spent the next thirty minutes discussing precisely when and where they would apply the patches and why one sequence of patching and injecting was better than another. Before long the room went quiet. Kay and Ventura knew what was coming next. The most talked about, the most worrisome and the most controversial matter in all of professional cycling. Landis broke the silence with the big question; "What about doping control?".

Again, Kay and Ventura's eyes met and then Dr. Brent Kay began describing how they planned on avoiding a drug test failure; "First off, they only test a few riders every day. The winner, the overall leader and then a couple of rider's picked at random. The random stuff is a risk we simply have to accept. The odds are over-whelmingly in your favor anyway. The overall leader? Well I don't think any of us in this room think that you'll be gaining over nine minutes on the rest of the guys". Ventura added, "Right. You won't take the yellow jersey tomorrow. You'll take it two days later at the time trial. By then your system will be back in balance and you'll pass all of the tests. We can test you every morning and every evening and if we need to do something to get things back to where we want them we'll have 48 hours. Plenty of time".

Although a clever plan, Landis still wasn't convinced. He knew that doping control could ask for a sample at almost anytime. The last thing he needed as to fail a drug test. At his age, a two year suspension would effectively end his career. On the other hand, a Tour victory would mean an immediate ten or twelve million dollars along with a lifetime of steady and easy income. He had watched as Lance Armstrong flew around the world in his private jet, many times with his rock star girlfriend. Landis, having grown up in a simple way longed to know what it would be like - to be rich and famous. 24 hours ago it looked like a lock for him to win the Tour and yet here he was, nine minutes down with only four days of racing left. He did agree with one thing; right here, right now, was his best chance to get everything that he had ever dreamed about, everything that he had worked for. It was so close.

Landis had decided. He turned to Dr. Kay, "If we do this, the patches and injections, what else can we do to make sure that I don't get busted by doping control?". Dr. Brent Kay had known that this question was coming and he was ready with his answer, "Two things. We'll start giving you some diuretics at about 7 A.M. This will make your bladder hyper-active. At the same time we'll start you drinking water. Just water. The more water we can get through your system the more of the testosterone by-product we can get out of your system". "You mean we'll dilute the stuff?", asked Landis. "No, the test doesn't look for a specific amount, it looks at the ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. Dilution is a misconception that has caught many athletes. The stuff will give you a boost but since we'll be giving you extra we want to make sure that the extra stuff is flushed out. At the same time, as your body uses it you'll be giving off some by product and we want to flush that out too". "So it's drink pee, drink pee, drink pee", said Ventura. "I'll make sure that the team car has plenty of bottles for you and I'll be on the radio with you all day instructing you to keep drinking. This is crucial. You must drink all day. Just pee into your shorts. You don't want to hold it, the more you pee the better. Use some water to rinse off. And you've got thirty minutes after the race to get to doping control, if you need to, so I'll be at the finish with more water and you can keep drinking for a half an hour. But don't forget, only the race winner and the race leader are tested, so we are only doing this as an extra precaution".

The solution is flushed

"So I don't win the stage?", asked a somewhat confused Landis. Ventura grinned, "The peloton is not going to let you go off alone. When you attack, and you need to do it before the base of the first climb, a couple of the teams will send guys with you. Just make sure that one or two of them hang with you until the end. Then in the last kilometer back off a bit and let one of the other guys take the stage win". Landis was still confused, "So I let those guys do all of the work?" "Absolutely not, they can ride your wheel all day for all we care. You need to set the pace. I'll give you constant updates on the radio. When I need you to go, you go. If we need you to back off a bit we'll let you know that too".

The tension seemed to leave the room. "Se we're taking a shot?", smiled Floyd Landis. "We're taking a shot.", smiled Dr. Brent Kay, "But a calculated one. Let's stick to the plan, we can't afford to screw this up". "You just have the ride of your life", grinned Robbie Ventura, "We'll take care of everything else".

An angry winner

The next day Floyd Landis rode what at the time was called the greatest ever race by a single cyclist in the history of the Tour de France. But he didn't follow the plan. His aggression, strength and anger caused him to ride away from every other rider, leaving him all alone at the front and in the strange and unusual position of being unhappy about winning the race. It has been reported that he went through over 70 bottles of water; drinking and flushing. But it wasn't enough. Three days after winning the Tour de France it was announced that Landis had failed a drug test - too much testosterone in his urine. That test failure led to further testing which showed synthetic testosterone in Landis' body - indisputable evidence that Landis had cheated.

Anybody here seen my old friends Floyd, Brent and Robbie? Can you tell me where they've gone?