Floyd Landis; Additional Problems

Floyd Landis is an interesting person. Stricken by grief and remorse, Floyd Landis sent intimidating e-mails to anti-doping crusaders threatening blackmail if immediate action was not taken to investigate his allegations of doping by former teammates and the facilitation of doping by former team officials.

As a result of several interviews of Floyd Landis by United States law enforcement; president of the UCI Pat McQuaid announced, according to the New York Times via the Associated Press, that a UCI investigation of the following people will ensue; Matthew White, Johan Bruyneel, Michael Barry, and John Lelangue.

An investigation of Johan Bruyneel is understandable; rumors surfaced. There were suggestions that a culture of doping existed on Johan Bruyneel teams; that doping was tolerated under the justification that the ends justify the means. The ends were Tour de France titles, seven won by Lance Armstrong (United States Postal Service Professional Cycling Team) and one won by Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel). Roberto Heras also won the Tour of Spain while riding for US Postal Service.

US Postal Service riders present and past did some amazing things on the bike. So amazing were these feats that most cycling fans wondered if such miracles could be accomplished without some form of performance enhancement. Doubts began to escalate when former teammates of Lance Armstrong began to test positive for performance enhancement use. Eyebrows were raised when former teammates of Lance Armstrong began to admit to performance enhancement drug use.

Teammates:

Floyd Landis; former winner of the 2006 Tour de France; tested positive for synthetic testosterone use; stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title; suspended; admitted to human growth hormone use; blood manipulation.
Tyler Hamilton; winner of the Olympic time trial gold medal. During the Olympics Tyler Hamilton tested positive for a double red blood cell population due to an illegal blood transfusion: only a blunder by the Olympic testing lab saved his Olympic gold medal time trial title. Tested positive at the Tour of Spain for a double cell population; suspended. Implicated in Operation Puerto. Banned from cycling for life for a second doping violation caused by ingestion of a homeopathic depression treatment that contained a prohibited substance.
Roberto Heras; former winner of the Tour of Spain; tested positive for rEPO use during the Tour of Spain; Tour of Spain title stripped; suspended.
Frankie Andreu; super domestic; 1999 Tour de France. Admitted to rEPO use during the 1999 Tour de France.

Quite an impressive list! What adds ammunition to the Johan Bruyneel "clean" era doubters is the competition that Lance Armstrong faced during his impressive seven year Tour de France title run; competition that Lance Armstrong seemed to beat with ease.

Competitive Riders:

Ivan Basso; guilty of blood doping manipulation. Proven participant in Operation Puerto; suspended.
Iban Mayo; tested positive for rEPO use; suspended.
Jan Ullrich; admitted to involvement in Operation Puerto; suspended, retired. Jan Ullrich admitted to rEPO and other performance enhancement substance use during the 1997 Tour de France. Jan Ullrich won the 1997 Tour de France. Jan Ullrich was never stripped of his 1997 Tour de France title.
Alex Zulle; Festina Affair; admitted using rEPO. Lance Armstrong defeated Alex Zulle in the 1999 Tour de France by seven minutes.

Quite an impressive list! The list could, in theory continue forever, ever expanding in all directions like a matrix. But there is no need, the point has been made. People wonder, how could a man defeat such a list of miscreants riding clean, with such large margins, for seven straight years?

Conclusion:

Fact is nobody can figure out Lance Armstrong and his incredible run. The information that Floyd Landis provided the anti-doping establishment may provide some answers about Johan Bruyneel. Maybe. It is difficult not to be skeptical though. Because except for former Phonak sport director John Lelangue who may have aided Floyd Landis in his 2006 Tour de France "victory" and who is included in the UCI investigation, very few people are being investigated by the UCI, in spite of the voluminous amount of detailed incriminating "evidence" provided in the Floyd Landis testimony.

Don't laugh! This is serious business. Floyd Landis may want to mislead the "fools" with false information in an attempt to force the anti-doping crusade into conducting mountains of re-tests for past races where he makes allegations of doping by other people. Expensive tests; the UCI and WADA will scramble to find something on Lance Armstrong et al., while Floyd Landis is snickering at Pat McQuaid, Travis Tygart, and all of the other people who "wronged" him.

In this instance, even though Floyd Landis claimed that he confessed his drug use so as to not be part of the problem, he continues to be a problem. Floyd Landis you are an additional problem and maybe the anti-doping establishment will figure you out before a disaster and major lawsuit occurs. If only the anti-doping establishment could prove that they had some sense for once and dismiss Floyd Landis as the vindictive liar that he is and move on to more constructive tasks that don't require so much expense. Pat McQuaid; end the folly! Don't be a dupe!