Okay, I'm not the biggest cycling fan. I've watched the Tour de France, mainly to see what Lance Armstrong would do, and I was in awe. What Lance did was amazing, and I remember watching 2 years ago when Floyd Landis continued the American domination of the sport. Of course, we live in the steroid age and we expect some skepticism toward any achievement (thanks BALCO, Bond, McGwire, Sosa, Palmiero, et al), but I had hoped that Floyd Landis would come out clean. It isn't because I hate the baseball players, but I felt that there was some sort of vendetta against American cyclists ... maybe I was buying into the hype. Maybe it's because I wanted to believe that the American was a superior athlete that turned in a magnificent rally in Stage 17 which happens to be the stage where the positive test took place.

Well, all hopes for Landis retaining the title were dashed today when a 3-person CAS panel upheld a previous panel's decision, ruling that his positive test during the Tour was valid. In addition, Landis must pay $100,000 toward the legal fees of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Landis will continue to be banned until January 30, 2009 and will not get his title back. As the CNNSI.com article notes, this brings to an end "the longest, most expensive and most bizarre case in modern anti-doping history."

So, why my attention to this I already said that I am not a big cycling fan. It made me think of this article I read over the weekend, where Gary Hall Jr. aired the belief that there is doping in swimming. I won't be nave, but the part of the article that caught my attention was his callback to the 1976 Olympics when the East German women attributed their world records and gold medals to the type of suits they were wearing. In light of this weekend's performance by the American team ... is it time to wonder if it is technological doping or something worse?

Disclaimer: I love America (cue God Bless America) and will be rooting for world sports domination in the upcoming Olympics. I just worry about our worldwide perception. And my brother a former college swimmer contends that these suits are an advantage.