Disgraced American cyclist Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour de France, only to have it stripped from him when he tested positive for doping, finally confessed his guilt in a series of emails earlier this month according to The Wall Street Journal.
Landis admitted to doping, steroids, EPO, and blood transfusions throughout most, if not all, of his now tainted cycling career in the emails. He also made sure to try to take down every other cyclist in the sport as well, including the great Lance Armstrong.
In one of the emails, dated April 30 and addressed to Stephen Johnson, the president of USA Cycling, Mr. Landis said that Mr. Armstrong’s longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, introduced Mr. Landis to the use of steroid patches, blood doping and human growth hormone in 2002 and 2003, his first two years on the U.S. Postal Service team. He alleged Mr. Armstrong helped him understand the way the drugs worked. “He and I had lengthy discussions about it on our training rides during which time he also explained to me the evolution of EPO testing and how transfusions were now necessary due to the inconvenience of the new test,” Mr. Landis claimed in the email. He claimed he was instructed by Mr. Bruyneel how to use synthetic EPO and steroids and how to carry out blood transfusions that doping officials wouldn’t be able to detect. Mr. Bruyneel and Mr. Johnson could not be reached for comment.
Floyd went on to describe having his blood removed and stored in a small refrigerator – hidden in Armstrong’s closet, in his apartment in Spain before the 2003 Tour. Armstrong left Landis in charge of making sure it stayed cool enough and that the power didn’t go off.
Landis received a two year ban from cycling from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after the positive Tour de France results. Landis had vehemently denied cheating at the Tour de France or at any point in his career on multiple occasions until he decided to email his guilt earlier this month.
Landis is a snitch. He lied to all of us for years in denying that he doped. Some of us actually believed him and only now, four years later, he wants to desperately admit his guilt. Landis didn’t even have the balls to hold a press conference and look us in the eye and tell us. He cowardly told us behind a series of cold emails while hiding behind his computer.
And to top that off, Landis decides since he is finally going to come clean that he is going to take Armstrong, George Hincapie, and almost every other successful U.S. cyclist down with him. That is just down right dirty. If you are going to join the club, then keep the code!
Floyd Landis just earned his enshrinement into the Tonya Harding wing of the Hall of Shame.
But Armstrong is being coy about it all. He responded to the doping allegations on his Twitter (@lancearmstrong) while avoiding any direct response at the same time:
Motorized Doping: Perhaps Lance should have just remained silent for now.
Cycling is and has been the dirtiest sport on the planet. I wouldn’t trust the Tour has had a clear winner since 1911. Armstrong, who was a mediocre cyclist before he got cancer, to become the best ever winning 7 consecutive Tour de France titles was likely the dirtiest of the all…but the smartest and sneakiest as well.
