Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France win for doping and later provided testimony that helped bring down his former team mate Lance Armstrong, is launching his own cycling team.
Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal reports that Landis will be using around $750,000 of the money he was awarded for initiating the whistleblower case against Armstrong to set up the team.
Armstrong settled the case, which was based on the alleged use of federal funds in the shape of sponsorship of his former US Postal Service team to finance its doping programme, for $5 million in April this year.
The UCI Continental team will start racing next year, and will be run by Gord Fraser of the Canadian team Silber Pro, which is being wound up at the end of this season. The new team will also be registered in Canada.
Landis said: “I have a conflicted relationship with cycling, as everybody knows, but I still like it and I still remember what it was like to be a kid, and race on a domestic team. It was some of the best years of my life.”
Speaking of his past, he said: “I’m contrite about what happened, but you can never go back and change the decisions you made. At the very least, people can see that I’m ready to move on.
“Maybe it sounds odd, but it’s kind of some closure for me.”
The team, which will be sponsored by the Floyd’s of Leadville legal hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) business, is aimed at bringing on young riders.
.Fraser, who rode alongside Landis at the Mercury team from 1999 to 2001, said: “Floyd’s passionate about cycling. I’d agree he’s had his ups and downs, but hopefully with this new step, he’s going to find the reason why he started racing.”
Landis is aware that his moving back into the sport, albeit in a largely hands-off role, won’t be universally popular.
“They can put me in the same bracket as everyone else they want to go away, but at the end of the day, rather than yelling and screaming on the internet about how I should go away, they could go out and find some other sponsors to help them promote the sport,” he maintained.
“Those people are going to continue to talk like that, and that’s just who they are.”
Add new comment
15 comments
The other Doctor is in hibernation until May.
Floyd might be a cheat, but there is something about that belly that says 'trust me.'
Did Floyd ever repay back his crowd-funding supporters for his TdF doping defense?
I believe that part of the settlement was used for this very purpose.
Quite funny that his racing team will literally be funded by dope.
Thats the first thing I thought. But absolutely great that cannabis and hemp products are starting to become normalised. It's an amazing product with thousands of uses. It seems 80% of everything contains palm oil, it could be hemp oil and far better for our enviroment. Plus lots of medical benefits. Great stuff. Looks like Floyd is doing good things.
...and it makes listening to his "The Wall" album even better!
Sunburn?
That was a Muse song, wasn't it?
Sphincter sniffin Team Sky fanboys however...
Website must have another doctor that hates Froome and Sky. These things happen.
Good for Floyd and for the cyclists that'll get jobs in this team. I'm sure people will be bothered that he is in cycling and that is their problem. The idea former-dopers cannot have a place in the sport is childish. Even Lance Armstrong has a place in the sport and to deny him a place in the sport is counterintuitive to the long-term health of the sport.
Haters gonna hate but I reckon Floyd's a legend.
Don't you hate team Sky members for their imaginary crimes but yet this guy's a legend?
I don't hate Team Sky members for crimes - real or imaginary - and never said i did, dumbass. What - is every story on here something to do with Team Sky?
And - yeah - Floyd's a legend.
He forgot his pedals.