This discussion was created from comments split from: Local Dopers.

So I just learned that Molly Cameron is a transgender athlete that is required to compete with the men unless she goes through with gender re-assignment surgery. Which, I read, she may or may not do.

And then I got to thinking...

She's taking estrogen in order to help her feel/be more like herself and I wonder if that puts her at a disadvantage when it comes to her testosterone laden competition. And if so, I wonder if she has or has considered tapering off the estrogen leading up to big events in order to level the playing field somewhat.

Of course, there are obviously a thousand more important things to Molly than her cross "career," and I suspect she wouldn't mess with her life in that way...but I do wonder if there would be any scientific benefit to my suggestion. I mean she's not racing with the elite men because she's a wall-flower. She's clearly competitive and does quite well on the local scene and didn't get lapped in today's USGP race which is impressive by any measure.

-marc

There would be a lot of Science-Type Questions that would have to be answered, like, what's the effect of not taking estrogen with respect to testosterone production and time? What would the medical effects of stop-and-go synthetic estrogen be?

I did a quick google search and there's little information on hormone replacement therapy, compliance, and athletic performance.

Molly Cameron is a badass, through and through.

Molly Cameron is a very well know figure of the cross scene. Fully sponsored by Shimano, coached by Myerson, etc, etc...

Photo from the Rapha CX race in Japan:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sklbz/5131282027/in/set-72157625154833797/
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/5131282027_8ef6abea25_z.jpg

Her website:
http://mollycameron.com/

Owner of Veloshop:
http://veloshop.org/

yet another article about doping, this from the money side of it...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704457604576011490820993006.html

Jason, this story isn't really about doping. Doping or what will be revealed in Grand Jury testimony is the reason for the article. But what we're really treated to is an inside look at sponsors of the sport. THere's something depressing about the most visible cycling team in teh world depending on angel investors, who are really just insanely wealthy fanboys, to meet their payroll. And Tailwind Sports operated at a loss! Or maybe we should shout "bravo" to Lance and Floyd for the savvy or chutzpah to take money from titans of industry. Go back and find the Ouch team jersey of 2009; find the eSoles logo. It seems tiny for a $200k investment.

Reed upgraded to cat.2 last year (Adler team). He didn't race this year, too busy I guess writing articles which must have made him one of Lance's best friends.

What are the odds this will stick:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-to-receive-one-year-ban-for-clenbuterol-positive

what will bjarne riis do now?!

Mattio,

Bjarn has to remember WWJVD. What would Jens Voigt Do?

When you open a can of whoop-ass, Jens Voigt jumps out and attacks.
http://www.jensvoigtfacts.com/

you know I wonder if this new test for plasticizers will make its way into the L.A. case? If Novizky has blood samples from the 09 Tour available to him and if they retroactively test for plasticizers???? I'm just sayin

Why would Novizky care about 2009 tour? Isn't he going after LA for his time on Postal, since he would be defrauding the government?

Hypothetically, If a positive test for plasticizers were returned from an 09 sample, it could be used to discredit L.A.'s testimony. Whether 09 samples are relevant to the case would be up to a judge to decide. If testimony has been given concerning blood transfusions on Postal, then the government can argue the relevance of more current samples, should they be positive for plasticizers, as corroborative evidence for previous witness testimony.
I am not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. wooo!

why is it that Contador has only received a One-Year suspension, rather than a two?

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/01/news/uci-clarifies-that-one-year-ban-for-contador-is-not-definitive_157307

I would file this under libido doping

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/charlie_sheen_rushed_to_la_hospital_8hIFtuymmUC2zYQ2pYkcoN

As despicable as Sheen is...I find this pretty sad.

a 1 year ban is amazing compared to the cheating that goes on in other pro sports:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/sports/basketball/28nba.html?ref=sports

10 game suspension but can still practice with the team. what a joke.

I'd say the fact that a basketball player is getting caught, and getting suspended at all is a move in the right direction.

Reed Albergotti did a great piece on NFL giving players advanced warning about drug testing, and never doing drug testing on game day. Considering most things disappear from the system within 48 hours (and sometimes shorter), that limit really how effective any testing regime can be.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704590704576092491857882766.html?KEYWORDS=albergotti

http://deadspin.com/5738218/the-case-against-the-case-against-lance-armstrong?skyline=true&s=i

A ten game suspension will cost the average NBA player about $64,000, which is more than most pro bike racers earn in a year. And the nba doper doesn't have to worry about getting fired by his team and doesn't have to worry about being banned for life. Not bad for them.

Not to troll...but how the hell does the NBA stay in business? I mean really does anybody watch that crap anymore?

Jeff,

I read that article. Pretty weak stuff. Accusation by adjective and character assassination. Kind of stealing some chapters from Armstrong's textbook.

The guy can't back up his accusations. I followed the links, and it looks like novitsky might have gone beyond one search warrant, that's hardly a house of cards, or heaps of evidence showing Novitsky to be corrupt or a cheat. There is a great line from a defense lawyer at the end nof the Yahoo article the deadspin guy cited. "Bias and interest are tremendous ways to impeach a witness," and it appears that is exactly what deadspin has done.

Yack-Fu,

Where have you been? We need your input on matters great and small.

I have been contemplating my mortality lately...and of course segueing this into an analogy of ti frames:
I take great pride in wearing out and destroying parts on my road bicycle. The game was much easier when I raced mountain bikes in the early 90's as the technologies were not perfected and research and development amounted to manufacturing parts and getting them to market asap. With road bikes, if you do not crash most parts have a very long product cycle. I have managed to break or wear out every single part on my 10 year old titanium frame. The list is long; bottom brackets and wheel bearings, worn out rims and shifters, cracked stems and bent handlebars, rebuilt Chris King headset (particularly proud of that one), broken seat post, broken carbon cranks, bent saddle rails and a seized pedal. It is important to note that all of these parts either reached their product cycle or failed while I was riding. The older I get, the more I'm starting to believe it is my product cycle that is coming to an end. My titanium frame is witnessing my decline. My hours in the saddle and my power on the bike are both trending downward. I'm wearing out. As a cyclist, I am coming to my own "planned obsolescence." I have the occasional good day on the bike. Days when my lower back does not have me deep in the pain cave. But I'm starting to feel like an old cat whose owner throws him the occasional three-legged mouse. My admiration for my ti frame has been replaced by envy. Every time I ride I think that my bike is mocking my fragility. This is becoming an insufferable indignity. It reminds me of the last sentence from Gatsby, “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back, ceaselessly into the past.

Not a great article (pretty hyperbolic), but at least showed another aspect. Although the part about intentionally deceiving the court and obviously violating the 4th amendment is glaring (even if it was plain view, I suppose the leaking of names can't be *directly* blamed on Novitzky). That being said, in no way am I professing Armstrong's innocence. I just don't put any blind faith in Novitzky or the investigation (he's supposed to be like Mr. Clean, Patrick Fitzgerald right? Oh, he screwed up the Blagojevich presecution). I did enjoy the Landis/Kimmage interview though....what part of it I was willing to accept as truth is another story, but still interesting in some ways. Landis is an odd, sad character as this point.

Posted By: twoyacksNot to troll...but how the hell does the NBA stay in business? I mean really does anybody watch that crap anymore?

obsessively....but I can appreciate where you're coming from, although if you want a long winded rant about how it's actually going through a really good period right now, I'd be happy to oblige.

Posted By: twoyacksNot to troll...but how the hell does the NBA stay in business? I mean really does anybody watch that crap anymore?

I can't get my students to shut up about it.

Ahhhh the TOC has suspended a rule so Lance can compete....Will they still pay him a few $100K just to show up?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amgen-tour-of-california-scraps-open-investigation-rule

And if you buy into the latest Landis interview, this is right on par with his thinking that Armstrong always gets special treatment.

"Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy" F. Scott Fitzgerald

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/italian-police-investigate-ricco-for-blood-doping

I don't think anyone actually thought Ricco had changed his ways, but I am amazed he has been caught again so soon (if this story turns out to be correct).

He's also incredibly lucky to survive bungling a transfusion, but this message won't premeate the skulls of any of the other cheats, because nobody ever learns from other people's mistakes.