firstoffthebike.com - Blog

Landis - really?

Floyd Landis dropped his big bomb this week. In an email to USA Cycling chief executive officer Steve Johnson Landis has confessed to his doping and has dropped names like Hincapie, Lepheimer, Armstrong and Bruyneel. He claims Johan Bruyneel, the man who orchestrated Lance's 7 Tour titles, taught him how to dope using EPO.

The backlash has been considerable. While Lance has stated that his suing days are over he made it crystal clear to the media that Landis' claims were baseless. Around the world others are saying the same thing. UCI President Pat McQuaid told the Associated Press that Landis' allegations were "scandalous and mischievous." Phil Liggett, the voice of cycling commented "It's easy to name names, now let's see the proof and then I'll have a comment." And we here at firstoffthebike.com couldn't agree more.

This is yet another example of cycling getting launched into the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Seriously is Floyd Landis credible? Is he for real? It is so easy to point a finger and claim things but there is one essential thing missing from all this. The proof. Lance Armstrong is one of the most tested athletes in the world. He is probably the first port of call for any drug tester who enters the cyclist world. After all of these tests, nothing. There has been no proof. Nothing concrete to back up the Landis claims. Nor has there been any proof that his coach Johan Bruyneel paid 'hush money' to the UCI. Landis should have taken notice of the French, who have been trying to catch Lance at it for years, only to fail. The claims are unsubstantiated and largely coming from a guy who, up until this week, vigorously denied being a doper. He's hardly credible.

For those of you who have been reading this site for 3 years now know that we are staunchly against drugs in sport and will not hesitate to condemn those that kill the sport of cycling/triathlon with their selfish acts. But in the case of Lance Armstrong and in the face of the Landis claims, show us the evidence. Lets see the positive tests, the money under the table, the how to manual inspired by Bruyneel. So far all we have is a guy who got caught, denied it forever and then recants on the deathbed of his career.

Landis is a bike rider in disgrace and single handedly put the cycling movement back a decade with his scandal. How much can we trust him and is it a coincidence that his team gets rejected for a start at the Tour of California and he then comes out with his own confession and finger pointing in the direction of Lance et al?

Call us naive but if it ever came out that there was improper usage of performance enhancing drugs by the Armstrong camp we would be the first to point the finger. But until we see the hard data, evidence or a secret video then this is all just talk.

Stick with us as we have hit the Tour of California and will be doing our best investigative reporter impersonations!