Broken Bicycles

In just two short months, after a very long winter, Floyd Landis will finally see his USADA hearing occur. Of course, Floyd is accused of taking testosterone during the Tour de France, putting his heroic ride into Morzine into the realm of infamy in the sport.

Why should you care about a dirty cheater in a sport that doesn’t even appear of the radar of most sports fans? Because, what happens to Floyd could signal a major change in the fight against doping for future athletes.

For the record, I believe Floyd. I’ll get into that later. However, I never rule out the chance of being wrong. I simply do not know. Outside of Floyd, if he doped, someone else knows the truth because he would have needed help in dosing, administering and deciding when, how and what to use for doping. Despite how the current system is set up, focusing on the athlete and only the athlete, no one dopes alone. The culture of doping must be dealt with and focused on, not just swinging a punitive hammer at the cheaters.

But that’s beside the point here. The point is you need to educate yourself about this case. Floyd’s hearing will be open to the public, though we’re still not sure exactly how open it will be as that is under discussion, but you will have unprecedented access to the proceedings. Floyd maintains his innocence and questions the way that the USADA and WADA approach their cases. He has raised very important questions about how fair the process is for the accused because, as it has been printed in many forums, there is no room for a mistake. According to the USADA and WADA mistakes simply do not happen. Ergo, no matter what, the athlete is guilty. Floyd seeks truth but feels that the ADAs seek “wins”.

So, yes, educate yourself. Find out what’s going on, what Floyd is claiming, what the ADAs are claiming and what the fans are saying. Amazingly, Floyd has a lot of support. But he also has a lot of detractors. Though many people believe this is a black and white case (i.e. he cheated, end of story) that’s not quite the full story. Don’t be fooled. Everyone one has an agenda and is acting in their own interest. Including Floyd, the UCI, the USADA, WADA and anyone else involved.

Get more of the story than you can get in a newspaper blurb. Documents are available. Arguments, PowerPoint presentations, rulebooks, codes, scientific discourse, procedural discussions are all available for you to read, interpret and discover whether or not Floyd is not only guilty but if his quest for fairness is just and admirable.

There are some great sources for Floyd information and I urge you to use them. Read, digest and understand before you judge:

Floyd Landis – The official site. Where Floyd is, where he’s going and what’s up with his hip.

Floyd Fairness Fund – Floyd’s group dedicated to getting him a fair shot and, ultimately, helping other athletes who may have been sucked into the system unfairly. Also, if you’re looking for documents, you’ll find them here. Including The PowerPoint you’ll hear so much about.

WADA – They write the codes that make the whole world sign.

USADA – They enforce the WADA code in the US. In addition to working with cyclists and other professional organizations, they’ve also been in charge of all Olympic sport testing since October of 2000. If you are interested in a sport, odds are the USADA is testing athletes at some level.

The UCI – The governing body of cycling. They are, apparently, working on a new double-secret probation anti-doping program that, from what I understand, is really expensive. No word on if it works or if it is simply another way of doing the same thing with similar results.

Landis Wiki – If it’s been hashed out, peed in, put in a test tube or floated as a possibility then it’s been documented here.

The Daily Peloton Forums – Where the discussion really started in earnest. Mostly intelligent discourse looking at the very minutiae of all the claims by all the key players. However, given enough time, the “ignorant slut” comments come out.

LA Times – Series on Landis, USADA and other doping concerns. I’m sure I missed one: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Chat Transcript

Rant Your Head Off -Well-written, deeply considered points on Landis, doping and the policies, procedures and chest thumping that surrounds it all.

And, of course, the Main Course:

Trust But Verify – The clearinghouse for all Landis content. If it’s said by, about, for, against or in reference to Floyd Landis it is here. Including the very important run downs, timelines, glossaries and more. This is THE place to go for any development big or small. Always on time, always concise and usually funny:
Timeline of Events
Current Status (includes a great graphic of the possible path of the proceedings)
Key References
Glossary
And the first in a series called Judging Floyd, written with an actual guy who not only has a law degree but is an actual judge. With a robe and everything. Very official.

Now, why do I believe Floyd? I’ve gone over this before, but I feel it’s important to explain why. I’ve read what I can of the documents (I don’t speak French, so in many cases I’ve had to rely on the kindness of strangers), I’ve reviewed all revisions of the PowerPoints, read the articles, the discussions, the arguments, the debates, wandered through the codes, listened to debates of positivity criteria, scientific minutiae, etc. Listened to, and found valid, arguments from all sides. And that has helped shaped my understanding of the case and how I view it. But there’s more.

At this point what does Floyd stand to gain out of all of this? His money is quickly depleting, he’s lost out on pretty much every opportunity that comes with a Tour de France win, he cannot race and even if he’s cleared, he may be treated as a tainted commodity by many of the Pro Tour teams. It’s quite possible that even if he is cleared, he may still be barred from racing in France. Plus, in cycling, he’s no spring chicken anymore and would be entering the tail end of his career no matter what. Of course, the tail end is frequently the best for many cyclists. He’s already lost out on the opportunities, the criteriums, the sponsorship options, PR appearances, etc.

He’s lost friends, supporters and is indirectly responsible for 40 or so people losing their jobs. Everything I’ve come to know about Floyd Landis tells me that being responsible for the destruction of a team and other people losing their livelihoods would not be something he can ignore for his own advantage.

So what does he have to gain besides proving to the world that he is not a cheater? There is no money in this, only bills. There is no glory in becoming the Curt Flood of athlete rights. There is no sponsorship opportunity at the end of the rainbow and there is no team contract sitting in a drawer waiting for his name to be cleared.

Unlike many of the doping cases, this feels like a fight for honor. Floyd cannot truly win this case. He may be cleared of wrong doing, he may be let off on a “technicality” (don’t get started on that rabbit hole of a term—because it’s a misnomer and a red herring). Floyd is not the type of man who would risk the welfare of his family for a bogus fight. I simply cannot believe he would do that. I cannot speak of his morality because I do not know him personally, but what I’ve seen of him very little matters more than Amber and his family.

I may be naïve. I may be wrong. I may be stupid. That’s fine. But, for me, this is a human story. It’s not just about cheating. It’s about a man who believes he has been wronged, that his family has been put into crisis and that he can do something about it by standing up and fighting for his reputation.

Believe him or not. That’s okay. But at least understand and know. Educate yourself and make an informed decision. You have two months before arbitrators hear and discuss this case and before the media press begins anew. Make yourself aware.

Then decide.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go suit up for a ride.