Any Floyd Landis fans out there?

[Drillium Dude]

Crappy weekend weather has had me holed up for most of yesterday and today. I've taken a break from the Dremel and have basically been on Youtube checking out old episodes of "UFO" and reading. Today I got out a book I haven't read since Floyd Landis finally admitted to blood doping: "Positively False".

Wow....

I mean, people bought this book at $24.95, donated to the guy's defense fund to the tune of millions of dollars - and he knew all along he was guilty. The book is now basically a work of fiction. Again - wow. Reading through it really raises my blood pressure, you know? Even if it weren't for the nature of my job, integrity is extremely important to me. I finished re-reading the book this afternoon and discovered two things:

1. I don't want this on my bookshelf any longer.

2. It's an autographed copy. Yup - I never noted that until today. He signed it "To Lamarr" in silver Sharpie.

Anybody interested in taking this off my hands? I know we all have different views on things, so instead of just tossing this out with the trash, I figured someone out there might be into this sort of thing for their own reasons. A collection of esoterica relating to shameful acts, perhaps?

I guess if nothing else it stands as an interesting footnote regarding the 2006 TDF - the first in which the winning rider was stripped of the title.

DD

[tombc]

Throw the book under the bus like he did to his friends.

[Italuminium]

No. And that other seven time "winner" is not my cup of tea either.

[iab]

Say what you want about who's doping and who's not, but stage 17 was epic.

[gomango]

Say what you want about who's doping and who's not, but stage 17 was epic.

I totally agree.

It had it all.

[CV-6]

Pass it around to whoever wants to read it. You can send it to me to start. Then I will send it on to the next person. If nothing else, give it to a charity and write it off.

[Bianchigirll]

Do you know where he lives? Send it to me and I'll go ask him for your money back

[Drillium Dude]

Say what you want about who's doping and who's not, but stage 17 was epic.

And why not? It wasn't real - Hollywood's produced plenty of epics, too - but at least we know going in it's all a fantasy on the big screen.

I for one would like to think on the small screen I was watching somebody pulling it out of whatever he had deep down inside - and not from a syringe.

To me, this quote from the book sums up what rolling the doping dice is all about:

"The worst thing that ever happened to me was winning the Tour de France. If I had any idea that things could have possibly happened this way, I wouldn't have tried. It wasn't worth it. If I could go back and change things to avoid this mess, I would. I'd go back and change it so I never won."

Well, the choice was all his, wasn't it?

To some people, I suppose winning is simply the bottom line. To others, the competition, no matter the outcome, is what it's all about. If you're driven to win at all costs and you must cheat IOT win, sorry - it's pretty straightforward: you're a loser.

CV-6: PM me your mailing addy and I'll send it your way next week

DD

[rootboy]

Touchy subject. But nah...I won't read it. I'd rather read about "clean" guys. Like Eddy and Jacques and..... oh never mind.

[iab]

And why not? It wasn't real - Hollywood's produced plenty of epics, too - but at least we know going in it's all a fantasy on the big screen.

I am of the opinion that doping and sports have been hand in hand since the original Olympics in Greece. The peloton was just as doped as Floyd. The only difference, they didn't get caught.

I like SNL's take on it.

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1976565785/

[Drillium Dude]

I am of the opinion that doping and sports have been hand in hand since the original Olympics in Greece. The peloton was just as doped as Floyd. The only difference, they didn't get caught.

Could very well be true - but my original point is that Floyd finally admitted it after years of denying it. There was proof, then his own admission. All the rest regarding Lance and others - at this time - is speculation and nothing more.

I agree it can be a touchy subject, especially if one assumes all the others were doing it as well. IMHO, however, it comes down to integrity versus how badly one wants to win. And if one wins in such a way, they were never a winner in the first place. If one can't win clean, why even bother?

DD

[fender1]

The doping/not doping nonsense is why I have given up on pro cycling.

[RobbieTunes]

Whether Landis was clean or had a rocket suppository, that was one heck of a ride on that mountain stage, and there was no doubt an effort like that creates incredible pain. For that ride, he was awesome, and the pros I know were in awe of that performance. When I asked them if it was the EPO, they shook their heads,..."doesn't matter," they said, "that was a &^%$ ride."

I think he just got sentenced, again, for breaking into a facility and trying to destroy records. It is a very unfortunate situation.

I assume innocence until proven guilty, but some systems don't have the due process by which we find out the truth. The whole environment is now so messed up, it's hard to understand just what is really happening.

I wrestled against high-school age Bulgarians in JO exhibitions in the mid-late '70's. They were men, not schoolboys, and we got roundly stomped. Most of them had 5 o'clock shadow, even those at at my weight, 103. Go figure.

[Drillium Dude]

I assume innocence until proven guilty, but some systems don't have the due process by which we find out the truth.

Me, too - a big part of why I bought the book in the first place, and why it pissed me off in a completely different way the first time around. The USDA was surely in a "guilty until proven innocent" frame of mind at the time of publication

But after his admission, well...

DD

[sykerocker]

Say what you want about who's doping and who's not, but stage 17 was epic.

Yeah, it definitely was. And I totally believed his defense. And supported the defense fund. Which is why I'd just love to have twenty minutes in a locked room with him . . . . . . and a cricket bat.

[sykerocker]

Pass it around to whoever wants to read it. You can send it to me to start. Then I will send it on to the next person. If nothing else, give it to a charity and write it off.

I'll admit, I wouldn't mind reading it. I used to enjoy science fiction.

[cobrabyte]

Touchy subject. But nah...I won't read it. I'd rather read about "clean" guys. Like Eddy and Jacques and..... oh never mind.

hahahaha, doping is nothing new. Wasn't cocaine a big part of racing in cycling in the early days?

[kroozer]

I don't even know if it's possible to compete in cycling at the highest levels without doping, it's such an extreme sport. And once you start you have to maintain the facade no matter what, which takes people to ridiculous lengths. Makes you look pretty bad once you admit it, but I guess Landis just finally got to a point where professional ruin and total humiliation were preferable to living a lie. Pretty interesting story actually, I'd like to read Part 2.

[CV-6]

I'll admit, I wouldn't mind reading it. I used to enjoy science fiction.

I will send it to you after I read it. I still enjoy SF.

[thinktubes]

I seem to remember a Bike Snob post where he was running down the classic cycling rivalries, and one of them was "Floyd Landis vs. The Truth".

[CbadRider]

Moved to Pro from Classic & Vintage.

[Drillium Dude]

^ Mod's call - no problem

Book is on it's way to CV-6, perhaps starting on a never-ending journey...

DD

[18hockey]

I have it as well and have thought about trying to contact him and ask him to give me my money back just to see if I would even get a response!

[rat fink]

I still have my copy. I don't know if it's science fiction, so much as historical fiction. I bought my copy from the $.99 store a few years ago.

[ooga-booga]

there was a huge power vacuum after armstrong's retirement which led to riders doing (more) questionable things to potentially claim that top tdf spot. wasn't that the year that the operacion puerto stuff broke on the eve of le tour? valverde, basso and ullrich all implicated, among others. some were caught before the race, landis was caught during it. of the same opinion as lab in posts# 4 & 10. Epic stage 17 and you're beyond naive if you don't think that others in the peleton (or any significant sport) were/are up to practices that give a little oomph or help to bounce back faster from exertion/injury.