Floyd Landis tested positive for banned performance enhancing substances following the 2006 Tour de France. Cycling's governing body soon stripped Landis of his title. Now, after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars defending a lie and in a manner similar to Jose Conseco in baseball, Landis wants to tie others who doped to the disgraced list in cycling.
Included the list is cycling hero Lance Armstrong. Landis goes as far as saying he was told to go to Lance's house and received EPO in front of Armstrong's wife at the time, Kristen Richard. Landis accuses Armstrong of doping, blood transfusions, and using steroid patches.
"He and I had lengthy discussions about it on our training rides during which time he also explained to me the evolution of EPO testing and how transfusions were now necessary due to the inconvenience of the new test," Landis wrote in an e-mail to Stephen Johnson, the head of USA Cycling.
Armstrong called an emergency press conference today before the Tour of California stage. Lance denied any wrongdoing, but Landis isn't the first teammate of Armstrong's to suggest Lance doped. Frankie Andreu's wife told the tale of what Andreu witnessed.
And so damage control began at Team Radio Shack, who obviously doesn't want to embarrass their short-time sponsor who has promoted Armstong's image in their retail stores. When Landis rode for USPS, Lance commented on how much fun Landis was as he would ride wheelies on his Trek professional bike. Now Landis has always been an angry man.
"I'd say I am a little surprised but I am not," Armstrong said Thursday. He also said that Landis has been threatening to make the e-mails public "for a long time."
He said he isn't interested in pursuing legal action against Landis.
"Legal action takes time and a lot of money. I've sued a few people in my time successfully. I don't have to do that again," Armstrong said.
Bruyneel denied Landis' allegations and said it's no coincidence on timing of the admission, coming during the Tour of California.
"I've always known Floyd as an angry person ... somebody who's basically angry with the world," Bruyneel said. "To me it sounds like he just wants to drag down people who are still there and enjoying this."
"It's very sad," Armstrong said. "At one point or another, all of us implicated have cared about Floyd. We might have been on different teams or from different backgrounds in our lives, but at some point or another we shared the bond that we all gave Floyd a ladder. When he dug himself in a hole, we gave him a ladder to dig out of ... now people aren't throwing ladders at him anymore." Armstrong said Landis started sending text messages to him a few years ago. Armstrong said the texts got "annoying."As much as I want to believe in the Lance Armstrong miracle story, there comes a time when you have so many doubts. Today added to those doubts.
It does seem plausible that Armstrong used steroids, but I hope the allegations are proven false.
ReplyDeleteAmen, but I never had doubts. These people are human and have their foibles. If it walks like a duck...Anyway, I think all athletes that use PEDs should come clean. If they work, then sell us on it, educate us. They won't.
ReplyDeleteOMG.. well i've always known that lance has doped. Everyone in professional cycling dopes. Just that I didn't think it would actually come out in public from his former team-mate... Oh well. This year's tour will be an exciting one, for sure. I bet contador dopes too!
ReplyDeleteMaybe Landis is angry but maybe there is a reason.
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