When Floyd Landis in yellow, then out of yellow, then charged back into it in 2006, I watched in awe. I mean, the story was so great — kid comes from an out-of-the ordinary upbringing to win the Tour? Cool.
Even when he was busted and toured the world declaring his innocence, I figured something wasn't quite right. He swore he didn't do synthetic testosterone during the Tour. He probably didn't. The problem was that he was doing a dozen other things. So, technically, he was innocent. Of the testosterone, at least.
When he unleashed the "I did it and everybody else did, too," screed, I wasn't surprised. It seemed really Jose Canseco-like. You know, crazy former star spills the beans, everybody rolls their eyes and life moves on. But someone says, "Wait, let's investigate this."
Months later, people say, "Whoa, Jose was right."
A number of stories came out yesterday that could lead to the "Floyd is right" moment. No accusations here, just precise, detailed information on how to dope without being detected. If this is legit — and I get the feeling it is — watch out. Things are going to fall apart soon.
The first article is here, on ESPN.com. The second is here, on CyclingNews. Finally, here is a piece in the latest Sports Illustrated.
If it all rings true — or even close to true — I won't express surprise. Disappointment, sure, but not surprise. I long ago stopped believing in the purity of sports. The only really pure guys are the ones I race with (well, mostly at least). They have jobs, families and a dozen other responsibilities. Some days they ride really well, some days they don't.
They're the clean ones. But that's easy to do when there's no money involved. It's just for fun, you know? What better reason is there to ride?
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