Landis Rides in California
The 2009 Amgen Tour of California sees Return of Floyd Landis
Mar 1, 2009
Amercian Floyd Landis shocked the cycling world when he tested positive in doping tests during the 2006 Tour de France.
Yellow Jersey Shame
In the days after the 2006 Tour it was announced that Landis, who had won the overall race and had stood proudly atop the podium on the Champs Elysees, resplendently clad in the Yellow Jersey, waving flowers and clutching cuddly toys, had provided a positive test sample during doping control after stage 17 into Morzine.
Landis had staged a remarkable comeback during the mountainous stage. The day before he had cracked on the final climb into the ski station of La Toussuire and had lost minutes on his nearest rivals and, it was widely thought, with it all hope of winning the Tour.
However, less than 24 hours later Landis rode away from the peloton during the race's last day in the Alps. Remarkably he managed to stay away, dousing himself continuously with water in attempts to remain cool in the heat of a French summer. He grabbed back much of what had been lost during the previous stage and by the end of the day had been reinstalled as the race favourite. It was an amazing, incredible day of racing, unfathomable and unforgettable to all who saw it and yet ultimately and unfortunately, unbelievable.
Landis Lands Two Year Ban
The Phonak rider's positive was the first time a Tour de France champion had tested positive during the race and the first to be stripped of his title. It brought shame onto the race which, for many months afterwards was without an official winner before the title was formally given to seconfd placed rider Oscar Pereiro. The wider sporting and mainstream press was stunned. In the days and weeks that followed, Landis' positive test result gained far more media coverage in many countries than his victory in the world's most famous bike race had in the first place, bringing with it a multitude of derisory headlines.
Landis protested his innocence and still maintains he did nothing wrong. He launched a spirited yet fruitless defence as he was given a two year ban for his transgression.
Floyd Returns
Two years on from his ban and Landis has returned to road racing with the OUCH pro-cycling team. The outfit will not compete in Europe this year, leaving Landis to compete on the domestic US circuit, meaning that the biggest race of his season came early on in the Amgen Tour of California.
Once more surrounded by the best riders in the world, his appearance at the race was not without controversy prompting some heated exchanges in press conferences. Some sections of the media, convinced of his guilt, are outraged that Landis still refuses to accept any wrongdoing and cite comparisons with British rider David Millar, who also served a two year ban for doping but on his return in 2007 talked about the reasons for his doping and has become one of the peloton's most ardent supporters of driving drugs out of the sport.
Despite the controversy, Landis completed the eight stage race, finishing 23rd, just over 10 minutes down on race winner Levi Leipheimer.
References
Amgen Tour of California website
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