verdict's in...

Verdict #1: The USADA has finally reached a decision -- actually a 2-1 opinion -- on whether Floyd Landis partook of illegal substances in his 2006 Tour de France win. And so, while Pat McQuaid of the UCI has made a few snide comments about Floyd's yellow jersey, Oscar Pereiro should shortly be awarded the official title of 'winner.'

TrustbutVerify has, by far, the best coverage.

Verdict #2: Genevieve Jeanson, former enfant terrible of women's professional cycling, has now admitted she also took EPO as a teenager. She has an interesting variation on the Senator Larry Craig defence:

'After the suspension was announced [in January, 2007], Jeanson continued to deny the charges. She now says, "It was not Geneviève that lied. It was someone else I did not know. It was something I was told to do and yes, I do regret it."'

Verdict #3: Sadly, while some skeletons do seem to be coming out the closet, professional cycling still needs to deal with over-zealots like Meat and Pat McQuaid and quasi-professional outfits like the French LNDD lab.

'"We are on the front line no matter what. It's normal. The lawyers use all the means at their disposal. They shoot with cannons," de Ceaurriz said, adding that some of the lab staff were affected by the hype surrounding the case. "I think they'll be happy but no more than me. They will be happy because they were dragged through the mud a little bit," he said. "That the laboratory or its director is dragged through the mud is not too serious. But it is bothersome when it touches the staff."'

Again, if Floyd did it, then he did it and damn him. But when the UCI asks Cycling Australia to withhold Allan Davis's entry into the upcoming World Championships (despite his repeated offers to submit DNA) because he may or may not be linked to Operacion Puerto, and the director of the LNDD whines about why having to run accurate tests cuts into his and his staff's summer break, the problem of doping in professional cycling is far broader than homologous blood transfusions, EPO, and where cyclists went on their summer vacations without telling anyone.