US cyclist Floyd Landis had electrified the sports world with an astonishing win in the grueling Tour de France road race last month, despite riding on a damaged hip. Landis had been among the leaders when he suddenly seemed to run out of gas. The next day, in what some aficionados consider the greatest leg ever ridden, he surged back to third place, putting him in position to win.

It was a feat that seemed superhuman, and now it turns out that it probably was. Urine samples taken on the day of his epic ride showed excess testosterone in initial tests and in a confirming test announced Saturday. Even sadder is the case of Justin Gatlin, an American track star who shares the world record for the 100-meter dash. Gatlin had held himself up as the face of a new generation of clean runners. Yet now we find out that a urine sample taken from Gatlin earlier this year showed an excess of testosterone in both initial and confirming tests.

These cases provide evidence that the testing regime is working but depressing indications that even athletes thought to be clean are not above taking a banned substance to gain an edge. There are calls to crack down harder by punishing coaches and trainers whose athletes resort to doping, a move well worth considering.