Saturday Roundup

Remembering label sticking contests at the Oregon Dairy

Much of Team TBV is away from home for the next few days, so updates may be spotty. TBV is in Disneyland with family; Strbuk is in Ephrata, where WiFi is spotty, and will update when she can from this weekend's events. Here is a pic she took from last night's book signing.



News
Philly.Com writes about yesterday's Floyd Landis ride to promote the Univest bicycle race to be held in September. Landis told reporters at a press conference before the ride with 90 or so local cyclists that he doesn't know what to expect from his recent USADA hearings, but he is prepared for whatever comes his way.

WGAL Channel 8 posts an interview with Floyd Landis about his homecoming this weekend which included a book signing last night attracting approximately 500 people, and a sold out bike ride and picnic to be held Sunday to raise funds for the FFF:

I really wish I could just do it and nobody would have to pay anything to ride. I like to meet people. It hurts my pride to have to ask for money in the first place but I really do appreciate the people doing it. Ultimately I would go for a ride anyway," said Landis in an interview with News 8's Meredith Jorgensen

Lancaster Online has part of an interview where Landis says he thinks he has 4-5 more years left before he's too old. First we've heard it put that way. I guess it means if he can race next year, he'd keep going for that long, and that if he gets a ban, he wouldn't be motivated to try to return for one or two years after the protour doubling would end.

The Washington Post blurbs the upcoming book tour stop Floyd Landis will make next week in DC

Bike Seattle does the same for a July 12th event in Sunny Town.

The Chicago Tribune's Phil Hersh is disillusioned with cycling's premier event
The Tour de France, and even though he loved its' drama in the past he no longer looks forward to the spectacle, sadly he is not alone.

AFP reports Landis is waiting it out while the tour ramps up.

The Spoof (satire) in yet another attempt at levity uses Floyd Landis as the unwitting target.

Blogs
Rant got energized by being an official at a crit, and gives us a potpourri of what he's been thinking the past couple of days. It goes from Lance Armstrong's "wiki lite" to the timing of the Landis decision.


Finger Food did get to talk to Floyd Landis yesterday in Ephrata and the interview will appear on CSN soon, additionally Floyd will talk to FF uninterrupted from five to five-thirty PM Monday on CSN on Daily News Live. Here is the partial transcript of the interview. He's waiting on a comment from USADA on something before publishing his real story, and knows they tend not to comment.

Le Bell Lap has a fever, and it's called the Tour de France. He is currently reading "Positively False" to get him through until it starts, and he thinks it's a good read.

Email
An emailer sends the following:

This was my first trip to a book signing.

I phoned the store to see what time that they recommended showing up for the 7 PM talk with book signing to follow. The clerk answering said that there were 40 chairs set up. You could sit in a chair starting a 4 PM. At the time of my phone call I was about 60 miles east of the store and there is traffic on some of the roads going to Lancaster.

I arrived at the Barnes and Noble about 6:40 PM. There were no parking places available in the lot nearest the store. The store aisles were packed with people in a a long sinuous line waiting to get their book signed.

A rumor about a traffic accident spread through the crowd, but you have that covered.

Floyd arrived a few minutes after 7 PM. There was a round of applause when he was introduced. If you got out of line to go stand around the original 40 your lost your place in the signing line, but I figured the extra wait would be worth it because I was in the far back of the line anyway.

Floyd spoke for few moments about why he wrote the book. He said he wrote it mainly to give people from outside the Lancaster area some background on his life and to fully tell his side of his alleged doping since the media wasn't doing a very fair or thorough job.

Then he took a few questions, perhaps less than 10. Not much new in those exchanges, in fact, nothing new that I could discern. There were a few rounds of applause. He was asked to predict the winner for the 2007 tour. He said, "Not me." and laughed.

He was asked why other cyclists don't come against the WADA and USADA. He said that the cyclists need stronger representation and there is no "upside" to them coming out. Just a downside, especially if he loses his arbitration(s). But personally and one on one most cyclists that he speaks with support him and sympathize with his problems.

How long was the signing line? Floyd was done speaking, even with the questions and answers by about 7:20 or 7:25. I got my book and copy of VeloNews with "King Floyd" on the cover signed by 9:40 and there were still a lot of people behind me.

The word was that Floyd would keep signing books as long as people were willing to stand in line and wait to get them signed.

I'll attach two photos that I took of a guy that I stood in line with. He worked with Floyd at the Oregon Grocery market years ago when they were in high school. About 13 years ago or so. Floyd remembered him.

I only know his first name - Brian or Bryan  You are welcome to use the photos if you like.

Other emailers send the following pix as well:

The waiting is the hardest part

Alex asks, "How many races do you lose?"

Can I drop Hockey and be a Bike Racer Instead?