Still Not Sure About Floyd
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Among the things I'm not really sure of (although it does appear that I've successfully converted to a new Blogger account and interface), I still wish I was convinced that Bad Boy Floyd Landis was a cheater -- or not.
Ever since this scandal inside a scandal that sidelined the two '06 Tour de France favorites, Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, then knocked out the apparent winner after a spectacular Stage 17 appearance, I just haven't known who or what to believe, who or what to care about. I'm not reading as much about the sport, not keeping up with this blog, not even riding as much as I did before the summer. I don't know that I can legitimately blame the latter on the scandals of the past year, but I do know that after several years of increasing enthusiasm for the sport, my interest has definitely peaked.
Will it return, rebuild, regenerate? It's still too early to tell. But I can feel Floyd's pain, that's for sure, when he says, "As things stand now, I don't see myself as a bike racer."
As of now, I don't seem myself as the cycling fan I once was.
3 comments:
Oh, I'm probably just being lazy -- getting out on the bike, keeping up with the blog. We'll see. Thanks for the pick me up.
agreed 53rd & '03!!
I've been riding for years, but year round for the past 6 now, and I've got more kilometers on the bike this year than any other ...
but I don't follow the sport as much or care about it as much ... (and fyi - I still don't think Floyd or Tyler are quilty of what they're actually accused of ... although pretty sure they're both part of the pro level doping)
While I certainly echo your sentiments relating to the pro ranks, I'm sorry to hear how it has impacted your OVERALL love for cycling.
Herein lies the greatest threat of it all. I'm sure there are millions that feel as you do.
Per Thinnman's suggestion, I decided to check out the site TBV for a while to in fact discern between "fact and fiction" as Mr. T suggested.
What I've found after reading the collection of well chronicled events leading up to and after FL's affair is that there is in fact NO confirmation of fact OR fiction.
The site, though sosphiscated, is nothing more than speculative commentary, the usual collection of Dick Pound/French bashing and frankly a painfully analytcal view of every possible conspiracy theroy that would make even Oliver Stone blush.
So, 03, you're right. Who cares?? At the end of the day, it REALLY doesn't matter. NONE of it.
What does matter however is what cycling does for you and only you. If anything, this recent debacle only re-energerized (if possible) my love for the sport. When apart from the nonsense and chatter about the pros, it's a sanctity that cannot be achieved anywhere else in the world.
That's the common thread that we all share. When you're cyclocomputer clicks over to 2+hrs in the saddle and you want more, the pros aren't pedaling, you are. That's a hard thing to replace in life.
Forgive my "pep" talk but I do hope you separate church and state so to speak.
Keep pedaling brother.