meatpants

I was walking past the place that used to be FL's former father-in-law's restaurant today, and got to thinking about the price Floyd paid for his actions. He lost a lot. some of it he deserved, some of it not.

I sense a lot of animosity still out there for Floyd. in my opinion, the guy made some stupid mistakes, covered it up, and paid a really big price for it.

It made me sad to think of how quickly we turn on people who don't perform the way we want, and how dispensible/disposable our heroes are these days.

I for one wish Floyd well, and hope that he has a peaceful and successful end to his career.

rogwilco

I wish him the best, but I hope to never hear of him again.

His ride in the 2006 TdF was epic, I'll always remember that, but his excuses and accusations after getting caught were just too ridiculous and made him look like a giant idiot.

Metzinger

He encountered an obstacle.
Chose a path.
Chips fell.
Human beings do these things.

Laggard

Floyd?

Blaireau

Check my sig. line.

Laggard

Is that quote for real? Now that's funny.

m4ximusprim3

All I know is that his Palomar Mountain training ride kicks my ass every time. Disgrace or not, dude is fast.

prathmann

True under the assumption that he was knowingly guilty.

But his statements are also entirely consistent with someone who knows himself to be innocent and is naive enough to think that the system will eventually clear him.

Bacciagalupe

Floyd rode rather unimpressively for OUCH this year. Could be because of the time out of competition, the hip surgery, or other factors.


Landis unrelentingly bashed the system from day 1. He had some reason to be critical of specific aspects -- namely, the "A" test results got leaked. Even within the first week or two, he was hinting that someone (likely the UCI) was essentially out to get him. Regardless of whether he was in fact guilty or innocent, I see little indication that he ever thought he was going to get a fair shake.

I have no problem with an accused rider presenting a cogent defense, including one that is skeptical and critical of the lab results. But Landis took a scorched-earth attitude towards his defense. It didn't work, it wasn't necessary, I don't think it served him well, and I don't have much sympathy for him as a result.

DMF 

I'm grateful to Floyd for hanging tough in his defense. At the very least he exposed the farce that is the testing program. Too bad UCI, WADA, et al. are far better at playing ostrich than cop.

I'd like to see him come back, though loss of motivation is certainly understandable under the circumstances...

cofgrn

My thoughts are that he seems to be slumming (performing unremarkably) a bit for a TDF winner of only 3 years ago. Maybe the hip surgery left him a weaker rider.

rogwilco

You'd have to be completely delusional not to believe he was guilty as hell.

calamarichris

+1. (Nuts... my temporal coordinates were off and I accidentally quantum-leaped a few minutes ahead.)

monosierra

He seems to have convinced himself that he was innocent.

Weird thing is how awful he is these days. I'd thought he would have at least be riding with the middle bunch in major races, but he's not even hitting those standards.

Blaireau

calamarichris

Lies are funny things. When we repeat them often enough to ourselves, they eventually become truth.
Although the hip replacement could be the reason he's not up to his former snorting thoroughbred glory.

txags92

Yeah, it wasn't just "hip surgery"...like a small incision and minor tweaking of a ligament or something. He had his hip replaced. Expecting him to be back in top form right now would be like expecting Roger Clemens to come back and be in mid season form a year after having his entire shoulder replaced.

prathmann

All of which still strikes me as "entirely consistent with someone who knows himself to be innocent and is naive enough to think that the system will eventually clear him."
If I were accused of something I didn't do I'd also be looking for anything that might explain the evidence presented - incl. rather unlikely things that may have altered it and the possibility of fraud or tampering. So bashing the system from the start seems like a pretty understandable response if you feel you didn't take anything yet you're being accused of it.

But if he really thought that he'd never get a fair shake then I don't see why he would have dragged out the defense so long and invested so much in it.

erader

i wonder if tyler hamilton is still wearing his "believe" cap .............

https://erader.zenfolio.com/p93865592...7be3#h27dd7be3

ed rader

DMF 

Of which I am guilty. I think he was screwed over.

For instance, why place more emphasis on one test than on a whole bunch of tests? Remember, the vast majority of tests were negative. And if the "super" isotope test is so great, why not use it on other days' samples that didn't trigger the crude indicator test?

Not to mention the absolute joke that was the lab.


Btw, one of the appeals judges was also delusional.

hos13

I saw him race at the Texas Tough Crit. I hung out an meet him afterword. Here is a pic of Floyd with my son. Floyd PIC

Sci-Fi

Anybody know what his other tests during the TdF showed? Would expect positive results for stages after he got caught.

Bacciagalupe

Landis was tested 8 times. The "A" test on 7 of those was done shortly after the stages using the T-E ratio test, which did not indicate an imbalance.

The remaining "B" samples were tested at a later time and by a different lab tech, and 4 of those indicated synthetic T. They were done using the carbon isotope test, which is considered to be a very solid and reliable test.

DMF 

They were all tested with the isotope test? News to me. Not that I doubt you, but do you have a link for more info?

gvonne

I was thinking the same thing. For the first half of the year mags and websites would say how the race went and end it with "and Floyd finished in blah blah blah spot". Now they don't even mention his name when he's in a race. It's a damn shame cause I was pulling for the guy the whole time. All this time after the hip replacement all he kept and keeps saying is "the hips great, I feel fine". If that's the case give us a podium finish or something.