Floyd Landis

An American Hero

Floyd Landis is an American hero. Landis won the 2006 Tour de France amid controversy surrounding the incompetence of the French Anti-Doping Laboratory (LNDD) and the handling of his test. Landis won the race in classic American fashion with a bold, come from behind, risk it all attack in the mountains of stage 17. His victory is considered by many to be the greatest athletic comeback of all time.

Landis was raised in the Mennonite community of Pennsylvania and spent countless hours as a child riding his bike, frequently in the dark after completing his chores on the farm. His rise to the top of professional cycling was dramatic, and early in his career Landis landed a spot on Lance Armstrong’s Tour de France team in 2002.

However, in early 2003 Landis crashed and suffered a devastating hip fracture. He came back to compete in the Tour de France that year, determined to help Lance win another title. Unfortunately his hip problems resurfaced the following year in 2004 shortly after helping Lance win his record breaking 6th Tour de France. Landis had developed avascular necrosis of the fracture hip bone and was suffering from severe degenerative arthritis as a result.

Landis had just signed with Team Phonak and was determined to fill his role as leader. He went forward with core decompression surgery in an attempt to salvage another year or two. The surgery was successful and after rehabilitation in 2005, Landis returned with a vengeance in 2006 knowing that it would be his last season before undergoing hip replacement surgery. He won Paris-Nice, Tour of Georgia, Tour of California and finally the Tour de France that year.

The fireworks had only begun when he returned an adverse analytical finding only days after his victory in the Tour de France. Landis fought the system and became the first athlete to ever make his case public. Landis single handedly revolutionized the anti-doping system and his moral victory is seen as a victory for athletes everywhere.

Landis underwent hip resurfacing surgery later that year and returned to professional cycling with Team OUCH in 2009, becoming the first professional cyclist to return to top level competition with an artificial joint. After 20,000 miles of cycling last year with his new hip, Landis now looks to regain his title as World’s Greatest Cyclist and, once again, inspire the world to greater heights in “classic” American style!

Floyd joins Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team!

Floyd returns to racing with 2nd place Overall finish in Las Vegas Stage Race. Check CallvilleBayClassic.com for more information.

Floyd appears on Larry King Live

Floyd returns to home town race and finishes 2nd at Boulevard Road Race in San Diego, a challenging 90 mile road race through the mountains outside of San Diego. Boulevard was one of Floyd’s first victories as a professional cyclist in 1999.

Floyd wins Tour of Bahamas Time Trial with record setting performance. Floyd breaks the course record of his good friend and National Time Trial Champion Dave Zabriskie.

Landis' "classic" praying mantis time trial posture	Tour de Georgia

Landis leads the team and Armstrong to victory in the Tour de France	Floyd and Lance at the front of the field in the Tour de France
Landis leads Lance Armstrong and top competitors through Tour de France stage	Floyd with Lance Armstrong after their victorious ride in the Tour de France Team Time Trial

Athlete’s Rights Advocate

Floyd Landis brought the same competitive drive and focus he used to win the Tour de France to his anti-doping trial. Landis became the first athlete to ever make his anti-doping trial public and was hailed a hero in his stance for athletes' rights. His moral victory stands as a victory for athletes everywhere. Landis risked it all to prove his innocence in a brutal battle against the opposition’s “win at all cost” mentality. Landis’ courage resulted in a complete overhaul of a failed system.

Landis Highlights

First Athlete to ever make an anti-doping trial public. Landis made the details of his test results and all aspects of his hearing, and subsequent appeal, public information.
Dissolution of the corrupt French Laboratory (Labaratoire National de Dopistage du Dopage or LNDD). Subsequent banishment of successor lab (AFLD) from Tour de France testing. This is the same lab that fabricated false results against Lance Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong’s defense included an independent expert review of the lab which was highly critical of their operations (Vrijman Report).
Removal of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Dick Pound following an ethics complaint for his behavior in the Landis case.
Federal conviction of United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) star witness Joe Papp for drug trafficking.

Case Highlights

Chain of custody erros

Errors are everywhere

Lifting Rings

Falsified documents

Whiteout

Click on an image to enlarge

Identification of bacterial contamination of the original “positive” sample. The original test result that started everything was thrown out at trial.
Lack of chain of custody of Landis’ samples. Landis’ urine sample disappeared for 4 hours after he provided it following victory on stage 17 of the 2006 Tour de France. In addition, during extensive testing within the lab, his urine specimens were repeatedly unaccounted for.
Identification of document destruction and falsification by the lab.
Identification of repeated International Standards for Laboratories (ISL) violations. Landis’ sample was repeatedly misidentified with several different identification codes.
Statement by the prosecution’s chief scientific witness Christianne Ayotte - “When athletes and rich American lawyers fight against the validity of tests and controls we better be creative!”
Landis’ attorneys point out that the USADA’s key witness, Joe Papp, is involved in drug trafficking. Papp is subsequently convicted in federal court for this offense.
Identification of the failure to remove the metal lift rings or “Dumbo Ears” on the key piece of lab testing equipment (Isoprime2). Giant metal lift rings are attached to this machine to allow installation. Since this machine is a highly sensitive magnetic instrument (using one 50 pound magnet and another 100 pound electromagnet), these must be removed following installation to avoid interference with test results. The lab had left them on for years and were completely unaware of this fact. Dumbo Ears says it all!

Floyd's original hip fracture
2003

Floyd Landis: The "Bionic Man"

Landis Completes Historic Season!

OUCH Pro Cycling's Floyd Landis made history this year by returning to Professional Cycling following a hip replacement. His Smith and Nephew Birmingham Hip Resurfacing performed greater than expected as Landis competed in over 50 races this year! His season started at the Tour of California where he battled Lance Armstrong in the lead group on the final stage over Mount Palomar. He raced throughout the US all year and finished his season in New Zealand where he competed in the Tour of the Southland, a brutal weeklong stage race that featured many of the World's top Professionals.
After three years off the bike, Landis sees this season as a major success and looks forward to continued improvement next year. "I was absolutely amazed at how well my hip performed, it's like a normal joint now, no pain! It was great to get back to bike racing and OUCH Pro Cycling was perfect for my return. Now that I have re-established my racing fitness I look forward to next year and with my new Birmingham Hip resurfacing will set my sights even higher."

Get ready for the next greatest comeback ever!

Floyd Landis crashed on his bike in early 2003 and suffered a femoral neck fracture of his right hip. He returned to cycling and did well until he started having more pain in the hip at then end of 2004. His X-rays and MRI showed the evidence of a condition know as avascular necrosis, or osteonecrosis.
This is a condition where the bone actually dies due to a lack of sufficient blood flow. Unfortunately, this is a relatively common complication of hip and shoulder fractures because the large ball of these joints is particularly susceptible once the neck of the bone supplying the blood becomes fractured. The fact that there was no evidence or significant problem until almost 2 years after the injury is common with osteonecrosis.
The bigger problem develops from the irregular joint surface and subsequent degenerative arthritis, or osteoarthritis. Floyd developed severe Osteoarthritis and due to the severe pain and disability opted for surgery. As an alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery, Floyd had the Smith and Nephew Birmingham Hip resurfacing procedure performed on 9/27/06. He has made a full recovery and will now attempt to return to Professional Cycling.

Floyd Landis
Medical Summary
Brent W. Kay, M.D.

Completely ruined hip joint
December 2004

Birmingham Hip

Floyd's new hip

The Bionic Man's new Birmingham hip survives a brutal mountain bike crash without a scratch

Smith & Nephew Orthopaedic Reconstruction and Trauma