Olympics Cycling

The International Olympic Committee is adamant that its drug tests are necessary to maintain the integrity of its competitions. But what if those tests don't work?

Gina Kolata of the New York Times has a report that demonstrates that with at least one performance-enhancing drug -- EPO -- the tests don't work.

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Dutch cyclist Theo Bos is one of the best in the world at what he does. But you won't see him at the Tour de France or in the Olympic road race -- his excellence is on the track.

Bos took silver in the sprint event at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and since then he's accomplished the rare "triple" -- world championships in the sprint, kilometer, and keirin. He also broke the 11-year-old record for the 200-meter sprint with a time of 9.772 seconds, which helped him earn the honor of Dutch Sportsman of the Year.

Even more importantly, he is one good-looking slice of beefcake, am I right ladies? After the jump, get a closer look at Theo and take part in our poll to determine just how hot he is. Please, this participatory democracy needs your vote.

A verdict was reached Friday in the first trial related to the BALCO investigation, and Olympic cyclist Tammy Thomas has been convicted of three counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury about her steroid use.

Testimony in Thomas's trial drew attention for the changes that steroids had on Thomas's body, including facial hair, chest hair, a beard and male pattern baldness.

The feds' investigation of BALCO cast a wide net, with eight of the accused already pleading guilty. Thomas was the first to fight the charges at trial, and her conviction is bad news for Barry Bonds, whose case closely resembles Thomas's.

Among those who have taken guilty pleas are BALCO founder Victor Conte, former Olympic sprinter Marion Jones, Bonds' trainer Greg Anderson and chemist Patrick Arnold.

Female Olympic cyclist Tammy Thomas is the first athlete to face a criminal trial on charges related to the BALCO investigation, and testimony in her perjury trial reveals odd side effects of her alleged steroid use. Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Thomas seemed to be in the midst of shaving her face when an Olympic drug tester paid her an unannounced visit. ...

Prosecutors have called Thomas a "hard-core" steroid user who underwent a physical transformation while using banned drugs. On Monday, a Colorado endocrinologist who examined Thomas in 2000 said the cyclist's use of the steroid depo-testosterone had caused "severe virilization."

Thomas had a deep voice, full beard, chest hair and even signs of male pattern baldness, Dr. Margaret Weirman testified.

Thomas told the grand jury that investigated BALCO that she never used banned drugs. She is now charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for those statements. Seven people have pleaded guilty to crimes arising from the BALCO case. Barry Bonds is expected to face trial on charges similar to Thomas's late this year or early next year.