Tour de France Champion Accused of Hacking

ub3r n3u7r4l1st writes "A French judge has issued a national arrest warrant for US cyclist Floyd Landis in connection with a case of data hacking at a doping laboratory, a prosecutor's office said. French judge Thomas Cassuto is seeking to question Landis about computer hacking dating back to September 2006 at the Chatenay-Malabry lab, said Astrid Granoux, spokeswoman for Nanterre's prosecutor's office. The laboratory near Paris had uncovered abnormally elevated testosterone levels in Landis' samples collected in the run-up to his 2006 Tour de France victory, leading to the eventual loss of his medal."

Comments

Landis grew up a Mennonite

[Ogive17]

Landis grew up a Mennonite, sometimes refered to German Baptists, often mistaken as Amish. I'm not saying it's impossible for him to have learned the skills to do something like this, but I'm sure he has almost no access to a computer while growing up and his riding training probably kept him from honing his skills online.

Re:Landis grew up a Mennonite

[TheWanderingHermit]

Landis grew up with traditional Mennonites. His parents had to go to someone else's house to see his performance in the Tour de France because they don't even own a TV.

I get your point. I went to college in Harrisonburg, VA, deep in Mennonite territory. Many stores had hitching posts for the horse and buggies Mennonites drove, but on the other hand the lead engineer at the only non-PBS station there was a friend of mine and a Mennonite and knew electronics better than I ever will, but Landis was raised in a traditional family. One problem he had when he was younger and wanted to ride was having to always wear sweat pants when training due to their issues about modesty.

Re:Landis grew up a Mennonite

[Miseph]

But what if, and this is a long shot, he's not just full of it? Sometimes people deny guilt because they're stupid, but every now and then people do it because they're actually innocent.

I can't help but feel like after this long, no sane person would still be proclaiming innocence if it wasn't true at all.

Warrant only applies to France

[characterZer0]

The warrant only applies to France. They are not seeking extradition. I do not know if Landis was actually guilty or not, but given the suspicious behavior of the lab and the French authorities during the initial doping case, it sounds to me like they simply want to prevent him from cycling in France ever again.

If the way he was riding last year in any indication, he would not be a contender for even a stage win in the TdF, but there is concern that he could take 20th overall, knocking the highest placing Frenchman to 21st.

Re:Warrant only applies to France

[Rogerborg]

I know, it's totally bogus how those underhand Frenchies must have infiltrated the United States Anti-Doping Agency which found synthetic testosterone in 4 out of 7 of Landis' B samples. Will they stop at nothing to sully the names of honourable American athletes?

Re:Warrant only applies to France

[Hurricane78]

A ex-coworker of mine was in the second french cycling league.
He was very close to getting into the first league. So he informed himself. And the rules are:
1. Learn how to touch the wheel of the one in front of you in a way that makes him fall down, or at least slower.
2. Use doping. Period. Or else you won’t get in the first league.

There is a system against doping. This is how it is supposed to work:
Doctors from the competing teams do the doping tests on you. Because they have the greatest interest in fucking up your team.

This is how it actually works:
The doctors are the one administering the doping. And everyone does it. So if anyone would tell the truth, his own team would be dead in the blink of an eye. Which means nobody really tests anything. It’s the concept of mutually assured destruction.

Now you may realize, that every “doping scandal” only was someone falling from grace. (Which can end in a large flame-war, like when pretty much every team suddenly gets “caught”.)