Monday Roundup

Floyd Landis wrote an open thank you letter to fans and supporters today which appeared on the Floyd Fairness Fund web site.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

While we wait for the ruling from the arbitration panel, I wanted to thank you all for your support during my long, difficult and costly fight against WADA/USADA and the incompetence of the LNDD. We made a strong and professional argument in front of the panel and I trust you followed the progress of our efforts during the hearings. I am of course not happy about the events surrounding Greg Lemond’s testimony and am sorry for any embarrassment this caused my supporters. Especially because thanks to you we had the resources to retain excellent legal counsel and to call upon the resources of world class scientists to testify on my behalf…and they did a great job for us.

In the course of our Town Halls, group rides and other events to raise funds and awareness of the severe flaws in the WADA/USADA system, I had the pleasure of meeting many of you personally, and the support and encouragement you gave me in the face of a great challenge is something that I remain very grateful for.

For those of you who saw my rides at the Teva Mountain Games, yes I should probably get back on my bike and stay out of court rooms…which I will be very happy to do. My book “Positively False” will be released by Simon Spotlight Entertainment on June 26th and I will be on the road again very shortly, so I hope to see many of you again during the book tour and some of the events that we are planning around my itinerary. Further details on these will be coming shortly.

Thanks again and I hope to see you soon,

Floyd

News
The Boulder Daily Camera posts an AP story about the summoning by the UCI of its 20 pro teams to discuss the upcoming Tour de France as well as cycling's tarnished image in light of recent doping confessions/allegations, OP, and the Landis hearings.

Philly.Com tell us that yesterday's 23rd edition of the Commerce Bank International Cycling Championships in Philadelphia, PA concluded with an exciting win by JJ Haedo. Crowds were called very large, enthusiastic, and inebriated along the famed Manayunk Hill. At the finish line in the VIP tent ,Tour de France champion Floyd Landis was spotted with his parents Paul and Arlene.

Blogs
Rant digested the NY Times article written on Friday in which Dick Pound and Pat McQuaid seem to be taking "baby steps" towards a more just system for athletes in the age of doping. It's the hypocrisy though that may derail attempts towards an amnesty program of sorts for people who do admit to doping and come clean. And, when all is said and done it needs to be fair to those most involved:

We owe it to the athletes to have a system focused on the here and now, rather than on obsessively focused on outing dopers of the past. What’s done is done, whether races were fairly won — or not. It’s time to move forward.

Racejunkie catches up with the doping and non-doping news of the week in a frenetic piece, that when all is said and done sees him still "want to believe" in Floyd Landis.

Neil@Road answers some mail and assures cat2bike that Floyd Landis' Power Camp accommodates all rider skill levels, and also posts a couple of the "Handey" quotes on Floyd's Pegoretti bike.

Russell at MySpace has set some goals. One of them is to ride with Floyd Landis and the rest of that goal is NOT very nice.


Thought for the day

There are moments when a man's imagination, so easily subdued to what it lives in, suddenly rises above its daily level and surveys the long windings of destiny.

-edith wharton-