Floyd Landis: Tragedy, Turmoil & the Tour De France

Tour de France winners traditionally spend considerable time basking in global fanfare and contemplating new levels of financial bliss. But since Floyd Landis became the third American to claim cycling's most coveted title nearly 10 months ago, his life has been nothing less than catastrophic.

Landis, 31, lives with his wife, Amber, and their 10-year-old daughter, Ryan, in Murrieta, Calif. He has endured the dismissal from his now-disbanded former team, personal tragedy, hip surgery and perhaps the most perplexing doping scandal in sports history.

With the assistance of friends, including physician and scientist Arnie Baker and lawyer Howard Jacobs, the Landis camps is now in its final preparation for Landis' hearing before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on beginning May 14 at Pepperdine University, in Malibu, Calif.

The hearing will be the first since a 2004 ruling that an athlete facing drug accusations will have his case heard in a public forum.

Landis' most serious career obstacle began last July in the final week of the Tour de France. During the 16th stage, Landis nearly collapsed on his bike while beginning the finishing 10-mile ascent to La Toussuire, a French ski resort. He fell from first to 11th place, more than eight minutes behind.

Landis said he believed his title chances were done and, in disappointment, drank beer and bourbon. Yet in the next day's stage to Morzine-Avoriaz, Landis rode to victory, winning by more than 5 1/2 minutes.

The ride, which many experts cited as the greatest single-day effort in race history, catapulted Landis through the standings toward the overall race title he solidified three days later in Paris.

Shortly afterward, results from Landis' urine tests following his Stage 17 win showed a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone nearly three times the legal limit.

The situation quickly worsened:

• Landis was released from the Phonak team, which was beset with other drug-related controversies. The team subsequently folded.

• In August, Landis' father-in-law, David Witt, a former roommate who introduced Landis to his future wife, committed suicide at 57.

• In September, Landis had hip surgery to repair a degenerative problem that had plagued him since he fell while riding in January 2003.

• Although still legally the Tour de France winner, race officials said they no longer consider Landis the 2006 titlist and have publicly chastised him.

Since then, Landis has spent much of his time speaking with the press and the public and espousing his innocence. He has written a book about his life, "Positively False," scheduled for release in June.

I spoke with Landis in a one-on-one interview on the second floor of a downtown San Francisco fitness club. Landis had been invited by CycleOps, manufacturer of the fitness trainer Landis has used in his hip surgery recovery.

The manufacturer's equipment had just been installed in the facility, and Landis was invited to speak to a group of perhaps 30 fitness enthusiasts and to lead them through a spin class. I spoke with Landis just prior to his workout and discussion with the group

Via his legal staff, more than 350 pages of Landis' defense have been posted on the Internet. If exonerated, Landis could return to elite-level cycling next season. If he's not, Landis would be officially stripped of his Tour de France title and face a suspension of up to four years. Landis could become the only titlist in 93 Tour de France editions dethroned via drug charges.

Although he has recovered from hip surgery, Landis has spent little time cycling since last summer. Landis has attended cycling and charity events around the country, including the Sacramento stage finish of the Tour of California in February. His once-casual clothes, backward baseball cap and scruffy beard have been replaced by suits, shorter hair and a tightly trimmed beard.

Q: What has this situation been like for you and your family?

A: They've been through something I could have never imagined. Nothing is the same. It's hard for someone to imagine that you could live in America and be subjected to a justice system like this. It's not a justice system. It's a sham. It's been stressful for them, and it's been stressful for me. But here we are. Sometimes in life, good people get hurt. We'll be all right, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
Q: Where are you in terms of your fitness?

A: Well, the hip's not preventing me from doing anything. I've just been spending a lot of time on this case, so I'm not in the shape I would like to be, but I'll be all right. I don't have a program. I ride a few days a week if I'm lucky.

Q: When your test results were announced and you were accused of doping, why didn't you scream and holler from the first day? I saw that great look of defiance on your face, as did everyone else, when you won Stage 17. I think people knew then that even this nice, quiet guy could get angry. So, if you didn't do what you're accused of doing, why didn't you get on a mountaintop and scream?

A: I would hope you just don't believe me because you look at me and I say, "I didn't do it." Please don't do that. There's plenty of more information and reason for you to believe me. We've put together everything we have available to us, and there's at least an adequate explanation to why people should take a look at this, the evidence against me. In my opinion, that's far more important than people taking a look at me and saying, "I don't think he did it." I hope you don't just believe everything someone tells you because you'd be confused. I don't want anyone to believe me because they think, That guy couldn't possibly have done it. That's not good logic. And it's not necessary in this case because there's scientific evidence. And in the beginning, I wasn't given any of the evidence about what I was being accused of doing. I could have gotten mad, but I was tired at the end of the Tour. It's hard to even get mad at that point. I don't know if anyone can relate to that. But it's almost impossible to deal with that kind of thing because you don't want to even be talking to anyone, let alone talking to the whole world about something to which you know nothing about. If people fault me for not getting angry, I don't know what to say about that. If I would have gotten angry, it wouldn't have solved anything. Here we are, nine months later -- I still don't have all the evidence against me, but I'm doing my best to educate people who want to know what the truth is. I have no desire for people to believe me just because they think I'm a good person. For me, that wouldn't make me feel good. I would hope that people would think it through further than that.

Q: In February, during the Tour de California, you traveled to different cities and talked with people, and even did some impromptu announcing during the Sacramento stage. People bombarded you, but you were the same happy-go-lucky Floyd. Why did you go to the various cities during that race?

A: That is my way of being defiant, demonstrating I didn't do it. Getting mad doesn't serve any purpose at this point. I have to stay focused on finding a solution. I have to show them I'm not going to take this. I'm not going away, ever. That's why I won the Tour -- because I wouldn't quit. And I won't quit until this is over. It's not in my nature to just get irrationally angry about things. I am angry about it, but I'm focused on what needs to be solved. I don't get angry at the press for asking a question I don't like. I don't get angry when it's not the source of what caused me to get angry in the first place. And first of all, I did win the Tour, and I did win it fairly. I'm proud of it, and I have nothing to be afraid of and nothing to hide from.

Q: What would be the best outcome of this for you?

A: The best outcome would be that no one has to go through this system again. "System" isn't even the right word. Nobody should have to go through this "setup" again. There's no way an innocent person can defend themselves. It needs to change.

Q: When the Tour de France begins, you won't be there, of course. What will that be like for you? Have you thought about it, and will you follow the Tour?

A: I haven't spent any time thinking about it. I'm not going to be there racing, no matter what, so I really don't care what happens. I have to deal with this. ... That's the project now, so bike racing is nonexistent. I doubt if I'll even watch it (on television).

Q: More and more, the public perception is that athletes will do whatever it takes to win. How do you respond when people say, "They're all guilty"?

A: Look, it's one thing if the public thinks that 80 to 90 percent are guilty. If that's the case, there's no point arguing with them. ... That's a pretty negative way to look at life in general. I mean, athletes happen to be talented at what they do, but they're just a cross section of the people who think this way. If they cheat at their work, then I guess it's safe for them to assume that other people cheat at what they do. They're just people. If 90 percent of people cheat at their jobs, so be it. There's no reason to believe that there's more cheaters in sport than there is anywhere else in life. If you think that 90 percent of the people in this world are lying and cheating you, then I feel sorry for you.

Q: You have a book coming out in June. What is it about, and why did you decide to write it?

A: It's written in the first person with the help of Loren Mooney (a cycling magazine editor). It's more or less done now. It's more of a book about my life. The final chapters are about the Tour. But it starts at the beginning and goes to the end, or whatever you call this ... hell. It starts at the beginning and goes straight to hell (laughter).

Q: If you are exonerated, will you go back and compete in the Tour de France again?

A: Yes. I would like to. I haven't put much thought into it. I haven't put any work into finding a team. Right now, this needs to get sorted out, so this year is not an option. So there's no point in worrying about it. But yes, I would like to do it again.

Q: If you're not exonerated, what will you do then, retire?

A: I really don't believe I would wait four years to race again. It's not that important to me.

Q: Your hearing will be the first in a sports drug case as an open hearing. How do you feel about it?

A: I don't believe I will have an objective hearing. I don't feel I'm going to have a chance to have a fair trial. And I need to have the world see that I didn't do it. And as long as everyone knows I didn't do it, they can convict me if they like. But everyone needs to see it.