Floyd Landis’ Testosterone Probably Didn’t Help

Floyd Landis has gone from hero to goat faster than any cyclist in the history of the sport. Two days after his victory in the Tour de France, he tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He has been stripped of his title, kicked off his cycling team, banned from competing for two years, and ridiculed in the media as a cheater. What’s particularly odd is the general ineffectiveness of any testosterone doping he may have done. If one is going to risk an entire career by cheating, one ought to ensure that some advantage arises from breaking the rules. Short-term testosterone doping doesn’t.

In a nutshell, testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone that more or less makes males male; females do have some, but about 5% of what a male produces. Over time, its presence in the body can make muscles bigger and stronger, enhance bone strength (osteoporosis is largely a female complaint as a result), and boost red blood cell count (thereby improving oxygen delivery to the muscles).

Of course, Mother Nature likes a balance, and elevated testosterone levels have some downside risks. Among its negatives are potential infertility (ironic, no?), enlarged heart, stroke (extra red blood cells), balding (really), and acne (younger looking skin?). To a jock hoping for a win, the long-term health risks don’t figure highly – young men in peak physical condition rarely believe in their own mortality. Thus, testosterone gels and creams are common in locker rooms.

Where Mr. Landis’s story gets tricky is the timing. He had a lousy 16th leg of the tour, and on the following day, his 17th was described by people who know their cycling as the greatest leg ever ridden. The difference in his testosterone levels after the two legs set off alarm bells with the officials. The suspicion is he used the hormone after the 16th leg, and the rest is history.

However, the only benefit the stuff could have had overnight is a placebo effect. Gary I. Wadler, consultant to the World Anti-Doping Agency, told the Washington Post, “I’m not familiar with [testosterone] being used effectively the day of an event, because it takes time to have an impact.” He told Time, “If you’re going to get any benefit out of steroids [testosterone is the primary anabolic steroid in humans], you would have to have been on the steroids before the Tour de France ever started.”

If Mr. Landis is innocent of doping, one hopes he can prove it and somehow get back his good name. If he is guilty, then he deserves to be stripped of his title and banned from the sport. He should also be ridiculed in the streets for cheating and doing it with a substance that wouldn’t help. The only thing worse than a cheater is a stupid cheater.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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