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1 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears 80.08.49
2 Carlos Sastre (Spa) Team CSC 0.11
3 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak 0.31
4 Andreas Klöden (Ger) T-Mobile 2.29
5 Cadel Evans (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 3.08
6 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 4.14
7 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 4.24
8 Christophe Moreau (Fra) AG2R-Prevoyance 5.45
9 Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 8.16Who is Floyd Landis?
By Robbie Ventura
Woven into the threads that make Floyd Landis who he is are the characteristics that make everyday people leaders, heroes and champions. Hard work, commitment, dedication, simplicity and sacrifice are all qualities fostered by his parents and their Mennonite community and those that laid the foundation for the excellence that cycling fans now see.
Floyd spent time as a youngster testing the boundaries of bicycles and all that can be done with them. He was often seen riding wheelies, no handed, up hill and loving it. Having perfected his bike handling skills, he had intrinsic abilities to read and react to situations on the bike. He started racing his mountain bike in the areas surrounding his home in Pennsylvania and quickly realized there might be more to it.
This love of riding spurred his interest in racing and Floyd journeyed outside the safety and structure of his Mennonite family and community in Pennsylvania into the world of bike racing and the greater world as we know it. He headed out west to race his mountain bike professionally. Then one day Floyd decided to go to a road race.
Race fans will find it interesting that Floyd was unable to get an elite level road racing license for his first road race since he had only raced mountain bikes at that level, and had no proof of what he could do on a road bike. This particular race had a staggered start, beginning with the elite riders, and following with categories two through five, in that order. So Floyd was sent off with that last group of the race (Cat 5’s). He road his way through all categories, winning not only the category five race but the Elite race as well. Little did he know, he was just scratching the surface.
He began his professional road racing career in 1999, and each year has reached a new level in his racing, this season being his best of all time. He has raced for Mercury Professional Racing Team and United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team prior to his current role with Phonak Professional Racing Team.
Lol, I pulled an 'Armstrong'. I was specifically referring to ASO and Jean-Marie Leblanc who, at this year's tour route presentation talked about ending the stranglehold that Armstrong had on the tour, and never even showed a picture of him in the presentation (unheard of). I have no problem with people hating on Lance, but you have to admit that just the spectacle alone of him attempting his seventh tour caused a lot of people to pay attention to cycling. ASO and Jean-Marie made a lot of money on the shoulders of Armstrong, and given all he accomplished in their race it should have been acknowledged.Kelshara wrote:It is kind of funny that you bash the French when you yourself in the past have agreed with me when I said that Lance is not hated among the general public heh. I personally have nothing against Landis winning (even though I was hoping for Pereiro to be honest). I hate Lance, not Americans
That said.. I honestly expected Landis to win today. In fact am a bit disappointed. Pereiro did the TT of his life, and Kloden was very impressive as well.
The French are a bunch of arrogant assholes. There can be only one country like that and the U.S. gets that honor. Although Boris Diaw is one of the nicest, friendliest NBA players I've ever seen play/interviewed extensively. It's messing with my head.Kelshara wrote: And now I expect to be bashed for saying I love France!
The only thing I can think of is that they're still building him up maybe getting him more used to the European pro-peloton. He rode in support of Savodelli in the Giro, so perhaps his recovery wasn't where they wanted it to be? Also, I think the roster that they went with with the exception of Egoi Martinez was really their veteran Grand Tour team.Kelshara wrote:Btw Noel.. any idea why Tom Danielson wasn't part of the Disco team?
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=af ... &type=lgns
PARIS (AFP) - Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of American Tour de France champion Floyd Landis following his withdrawal from two races in the Netherlands and Denmark.
The ANP Dutch news agency said Landis pulled out of a race in Chaam on Wednesday evening after medical advice but this reason for not appearing was not confirmed by race organisers.
Agent John van den Akker, who organised Landis's appearance at the race said he was annoyed by the situation. "We have tried to contact Floyd and his manager but we have not been able to," van den Akker told ANP.
"We are very annoyed. We have invested a lot of money (to ensure his appearance) and we would have expected some kind of explanation."
It was also discovered that Landis would not be coming to Thursday's Grand Prix Jyske Bank race, the Danish organisers said in a statement.
"It is with great regret that we announce Floyd Landis will not be appearing in the race," Danish organisers said.
Landis did show top form however to win the Stiphout criterium in the Netherlands on Tuesday night.
The news of Landis's disappearance comes after the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced a rider in the Tour de France had failed a doping test.
Neither the identity of the rider nor the date the test was conducted were released by the sport's governing body. If the case is confirmed it would be the first doping case from the race.
However the rider who failed the test is not French or German after both of the country's cycling federations denied they had received notification of the test result from the UCI.
The UCI said on Wednesday they had sent the result to the federation of the cyclist concerned but FFC president Jean Pitallier told AFP: "We have received nothing from the UCI."
And a German cycling federation (BDR) spokesman said: "We have received nothing from the UCI whether it is by post or email."
On Wednesday, the UCI said in a statement: "The adverse analytical finding received this morning relates to the first analysis, and will have to be confirmed either by a counter-analysis required by the rider, or by the fact that the rider renounces to that counter analysis.
"The World Anti-doping Code and the Anti-doping Rules of the UCI do not allow to make the name of the concerned rider public, as well as other information that may allow identification."
The test was carried out by France's national anti-doping laboratory at Chatenay-Malabry.
This year's Tour was rocked by a drugs scandal on the eve of the race which saw 13 riders, including pre-race favourites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, barred from taking part after they were implicated in a Spanish blood-doping ring.
It was the latest in a series of high-profile drugs controversies to tarnish cycling over the past decade, with the Tour de France being particularly hard hit.
Nick wrote:
http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=af ... &type=lgns
PARIS (AFP) - Mystery surrounds the whereabouts of American Tour de France champion Floyd Landis following his withdrawal from two races in the Netherlands and Denmark.
The ANP Dutch news agency said Landis pulled out of a race in Chaam on Wednesday evening after medical advice but this reason for not appearing was not confirmed by race organisers.
Agent John van den Akker, who organised Landis's appearance at the race said he was annoyed by the situation. "We have tried to contact Floyd and his manager but we have not been able to," van den Akker told ANP.
"We are very annoyed. We have invested a lot of money (to ensure his appearance) and we would have expected some kind of explanation."
It was also discovered that Landis would not be coming to Thursday's Grand Prix Jyske Bank race, the Danish organisers said in a statement.
"It is with great regret that we announce Floyd Landis will not be appearing in the race," Danish organisers said.
Landis did show top form however to win the Stiphout criterium in the Netherlands on Tuesday night.
The news of Landis's disappearance comes after the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced a rider in the Tour de France had failed a doping test.
Neither the identity of the rider nor the date the test was conducted were released by the sport's governing body. If the case is confirmed it would be the first doping case from the race.
However the rider who failed the test is not French or German after both of the country's cycling federations denied they had received notification of the test result from the UCI.
The UCI said on Wednesday they had sent the result to the federation of the cyclist concerned but FFC president Jean Pitallier told AFP: "We have received nothing from the UCI."
And a German cycling federation (BDR) spokesman said: "We have received nothing from the UCI whether it is by post or email."
On Wednesday, the UCI said in a statement: "The adverse analytical finding received this morning relates to the first analysis, and will have to be confirmed either by a counter-analysis required by the rider, or by the fact that the rider renounces to that counter analysis.
"The World Anti-doping Code and the Anti-doping Rules of the UCI do not allow to make the name of the concerned rider public, as well as other information that may allow identification."
The test was carried out by France's national anti-doping laboratory at Chatenay-Malabry.
This year's Tour was rocked by a drugs scandal on the eve of the race which saw 13 riders, including pre-race favourites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, barred from taking part after they were implicated in a Spanish blood-doping ring.
It was the latest in a series of high-profile drugs controversies to tarnish cycling over the past decade, with the Tour de France being particularly hard hit.
Suspicious hmm!
Said it before, will say it again. Bring on the freaks!Winnow wrote:At this point, they should just say to hell with it and allow doping and drugs as it seems there hasn't been a clean winner in more than a decade.
noel wrote:I don't think it taints Oscar's win if Floyd was cheating. It's funny really... I didn't hear about this until a few hours after the story broke because I was too busy out riding my bike.
I am willing to bet that Oscar would much rather have won without this happening. It does take some away when you win due to disqualifications, injuries etc.noel wrote:I don't think it taints Oscar's win if Floyd was cheating.
I had crepes for breakfast. Does that count?Cartalas wrote:noel wrote:I don't think it taints Oscar's win if Floyd was cheating. It's funny really... I didn't hear about this until a few hours after the story broke because I was too busy out riding my bike.
Did you dope up first?
Your Clean!!!! Race onnoel wrote:I had crepes for breakfast. Does that count?Cartalas wrote:noel wrote:I don't think it taints Oscar's win if Floyd was cheating. It's funny really... I didn't hear about this until a few hours after the story broke because I was too busy out riding my bike.
Did you dope up first?
Landis denies
Floyd Landis has broken his silence about his high T/E ratio that could cost him the Tour de France, as well as hammering cycling's already battered image. Landis, who has requested a B sample analysis to confirm his A test, told Sports Illustrated, that he "can't be hopeful" that the B sample will be any different than the A. "I'm a realist," he added.
But even if the B sample confirms the A result, Landis is not necessarily guilty of taking an illegal performance enhancing drug to boost his testosterone. Some riders can prove that they have an elevated Testosterone/Epitestosterone (T:E) level, if they undergo an endocrine test performed by a credible doctor. Landis said he will use Spanish doctor Luis Hernández, who has helped other riders prove a high T:E count. "In hundreds of cases," Landis told SI, "no one's ever lost one."
In 1999, Colombian rider Santiago Botero was able to prove his elevated testosterone levels (over four times the allowed limit) were natural. His doctor at the time was Kelme's Dr Eufemiano Fuentes.
Landis is looking for other answers too. He is allowed to take cortisone for his degenerating right hip, although he said during the Tour that he had only had a couple of injections this year. But he also told SI that he'd been taking daily doses of a thyroid hormone to treat a thyroid condition. Even if either of these can explain his high T:E ratio, Landis realises that it will be hard to convince people. "I wouldn't hold it against somebody if they don't believe me," he said.
Others have looked at explanations such as the beer Landis had the night before his stage 17 exploit, citing a study in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry ( Vol 34, 1462-1464, 1988) by Swedish researchers O Falk, E Palonek and I Bjorkhem. In it, they investigated the effects of the ingestion of between 110-160 g of ethanol (2 g/kg bodyweight). They showed that it "increased the ratio between testosterone and epitestosterone in urine from 1.14 +/- 0.07 to 1.52 +/- 0.09 in four healthy male volunteers. The increase ranged from 30% to 90% in the different subjects studied (mean 41%). In cases where doping with testosterone is suspected, the possibility should be considered that at least part of an observed increased testosterone/epitestosterone ratio in urine is ascribable to previous ingestion of ethanol."
As a caveat, Landis was quoted at the time as saying that he'd only had one beer. A pint of normal strength beer generally doesn't contain more than 20 g of alcohol - a much lower level than was studied by the Swedish researchers.
My money woud be on Noel to beat all of these "pro" cyclists in a clean race. Right now, he's reverse-doping by sucking in all the smoggy air in California. As soon as he got to a race location that had clean air, it would be almost like doping up for the race.