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Health & Fitness with Bill Hauda Turn off the Tour de Farce Some of our silent sports heroes – people who are admired for their courage, exploits, qualities and achievements and who we see as an ideal or model to follow – have been stolen from us by the Tour de Farce. First they went after Lance Armstrong with allegations of doping. They didn't get him. So then they targeted Floyd Landis with questionable test results. The Landis burlesque is still going on. With the 2007 Tour coming up, we still don't even know who won in 2006. I think the script was written intentionally to achieve one purpose: It has gotten the Americans out of the Farce. At the same time, it has tarnished some of our heroes, who we need to keep us motivated and encourage others (particularly our young) to discover the silent sports that will keep them fit and healthy for life. Perhaps the only good result of this black comedy is that interest in the Farce has fallen. Consider for a moment what Outside Magazine editor Christopher Keyes said recently: "It has been 10 months since the 2006 Tour and we still can't tell you who won the race. Thanks to the glacial pace of cycling's drug-testing system, Floyd Landis's guilt or innocence hasn't been officially determined. In fact, just recently, new test results from his 2006 urine samples came back positive – followed by another round of accusations about mishandled B samples and corrupt laboratories. The only thing we're clear on now is that Floyd won't be racing this year." The result: Outside Magazine and who knows how many other media outlets are going to substantially downsize their coverage of the Farce. With the future of Floyd still unknown, maybe Lance will become the last of a possibly extinct line of heroes. I've had the opportunity to see Floyd Landis in person. At a Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin fund-raiser last fall sponsored by Saris, he came off as a truly genuine person, totally sincere and believable. That I made an assessment like that after a career as an investigative journalist, suspicious of everything, tells me a lot. Plus nothing in this farce makes sense. If the allegations had involved blood doping, stimulants or narcotics, I'd be less likely to reach a conclusion. But testosterone? That's in the category with anabolic steroids – agents that can have long-term effects on the body. They do not explain why Floyd managed a fantastic comeback to win (yes, he did win) the 2006 Tour de Farce. Plus he's innocent until proven guilty. If you want to "dope" for an overnight comeback, you store some of your blood and transfuse it back later in the day before you compete. The resulting increased number of red blood cells will allow your blood to carry more oxygen. Take a shot of testosterone and maybe you'll think you are more masculine. But you are not going to perform any better today than yesterday. Landis and his advisors obviously know that, so the whole thing is just not believable. Corrupt labs aimed at destroying American heroes, however, is certainly more within the realm of possibility. I hope Outside Magazine and lots of other media outlets stay away from the Farce this year. I hope we all keep our television sets turned off while the Farce goes on. Let's keep all those American dollars at home (do you bicycle industry people hear me?). Let the French know that if they want to topple our heroes in an unscrupulous manner, we won't pay for it. Giving us the Statue of Liberty doesn't mean they can do whatever they want. And let's insist on a house cleaning in the World Anti-Doping Agency. If these people can't ensure decisions within a reasonable period of time, they ought to have their responsibilities, bureaucracy and funding shifted to some group that can. Ten months is too long. We desperately need heroes like Lance and Floyd. Lance, particularly, has been credited with inspiring more people to get into cycling. These heroes are especially important to our young people. Without them, the only exercise kids will get is with the fingers that push the joy sticks of video games. Bill Hauda is a bicyclist, veteran of about 50 marathons, including 13 in Boston; a former competitive triathlete; founder and first president of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin; currently a BFW board member; and former director of Wisconsin's two major cross-state bicycle tours, GRABAAWR and SAGBRAW. A professional journalist, he has written newspaper, news service and magazine articles and columns on running, health and fitness since 1978.
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