US cyclist Floyd Landis picked up some cuts and bruises but also some much-needed peace of mind in finishing second in a mountain bike race on Saturday.
Landis, disgraced by a doping scandal after winning last year's Tour de France, was unable to defend his title this year.
So while those who took place in this year's drug-tainted Tour were recovering from their exertions, Landis was racing to second place behind five-time winner Dave Wiens in the Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race.
PHOTO: AP
"This race was good because it was something to train for and I could focus on that," Landis said.
"I couldn't completely forget about the other stuff, but at least it was something to focus on," he said. "When there's nothing going on, I just end up thinking about things."
He's had a lot to think about.
Landis has vehemently denied doping despite positive tests on two samples, outlining his defense in his book, Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour De France.
Landis also underwent hip replacement surgery last September and participated in an arbitration hearing that will determine whether he gets to retain his Tour title. He returned to racing in June at the Tevas Games in Vail, Colorado.
Four-time defending champion Dave Wiens of Gunnison, Colorado, set the pace early at Leadville and Landis was right with him despite crashing on downhill about an hour into the race. Landis shook of a flat tire to nearly catch Wiens just past the halfway point, but finished 1 minute, 43 seconds behind Wiens' record of 6 hours, 58 minutes, 47 seconds.
"I chased too hard after the flat," said Landis, bandages on three fingertips and blood-soaked gauze from just above the knee to his ankle. "He probably was going to win anyway, even without the flat. He's in great shape."
Landis hasn't heard when the arbitration panel will make its ruling and has yet to schedule future races because of the uncertainty.
"It's been three months since the hearing and I haven't heard a word -- nothing at all," Landis said. "If they're going to do it right and they're going to take their time, that's fine, I don't mind. I just don't know what the time frame is. It would make it a lot more simple if they just said `it'll be next January.' That'd be fine."
Dismayed
Landis was dismayed at the doping scandals that blighted last year's Tour de France, with several riders, including leader Michael Rasmussen, kicked out of the race because of doping issues, casting the future of the race in doubt.
"You've got all of the organizations and none of them talk to each other," Landis said.
"They just go straight to the press," he said. "Fine, I'm not saying they should try to hide it, but the fans have no idea what to make of it. It's just chaos. If they've got a problem, they should just get together and talk to each other first."
So far, Landis hasn't seen signs that the scandals have permanently hurt the sport.
He was swarmed at the start of the Leadville race by fans and received similar greetings during a book tour last month.
"Whether people think I'm innocent or guilty, they all agree that this system doesn't work," Landis said. "It's been a year and a month and there's not even a decision. That doesn't make any sense. Even if they think I'm guilty, they have to believe that sooner or later an innocent person's going to come along and get [hurt]."
At least Landis has had some good news lately -- his book is selling well.
Financial problems
Facing financial problems just a few months ago, Landis was able to pay attorney fees with advance money from the book and hasn't yet started looking at life after racing. Of course, he's still waiting for that decision that could change everything.
"Everything is unknown, when it's going to happen, what it's going to be, there's just no indication. I'm not used to that," Landis said. "I like to have a goal, I like to have something to work toward. I don't have that and that part is making me crazy.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
Batting great Virat Kohli yesterday announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket, just days before India name their squad for a tour to England. Kohli, who scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, posted his decision on Instagram five days after India captain Rohit Sharma called time on his own Test career. Since making his debut in 2011, Kohli struck 30 hundreds and 31 fifties with a highest score of 254 not out, mainly batting at number four in the order. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,” the
RSS