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August 6, 2007
Floyd Landis - Winner of 2006 Tour de France.
I just finished reading, Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France by Floyd Landis with Loren Mooney. Loren Mooney is the executive editor of Bicycling Magazine.
Shortly after the 2006 Tour de France, I joked about printing t-shirts with the slogan, 'Floyd Was Framed', and selling them online. I was a huge supporter of Landis, and was certain that he hadn't cheated. Then, when I started to read what the media had to say about his 11:1 ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, the fact that there was synthetic testosterone found in his sample, and finally the whole Greg Lemond fiasco, my confidence in his innocence had ebbed.
I know that a book written by the accused, can hardly be considered impartial, but taking that into account, Floyd still came across as a candid and honest person. Landis is fighting these allegations with a fervor that could only be fueled by his innocence. In the book he counters every one of the media's slam-dunk convictions with clarity and science. By the end of the book I was convinced of his innocence.
It's tragic to think that Floyd's childhood dream of winning the Tour could be torn from his grasp, if not literally -- at least in the court of public opinion, at the whim of these anti-doping organizations. Landis is fighting to retain his title, but also to foster a more healthy environment where the truth can surface and accused athletes can tell their side of the story. I wish him success and think you should read the book.
Posted by mark at August 6, 2007 10:12 AM Subscribe (FeedBurner)
Comments
I want to believe he didn't do it. I really do... it just seems to get harder and harder. Especially after what happened during the recent tour.
I like what slipstream is doing. They will test each rider very frequently to look for patterns. Not only should it help prevent doping, but it should also give them a better defense against a single failed test...
Posted by: Nathan at August 8, 2007 2:30 PM
google Rosie Ruiz
check the wiki pages
she stands by her account of what happened
does that mean it happened?
Posted by: gwadzilla at August 28, 2007 4:43 PM