Of Bikes and Men

“I have nothing to hide. As far as I’m concerned, people can know everything about me if they want: how much money I’ve made, when I’ve been a fool or felt regret or shed tears. I don’t care. There’s no reason to hold anything back. I don’t feel the need to be selective in order to create some image of a person who isn’t me. I’m me. That’s it.” – Floyd Landis in Positively False

Before I begin, I must add a small disclaimer. A week ago I knew absolutely nothing about the world of professional cycling. I knew who Lance Armstrong was, I knew what the Tour de France was and approximately when it takes place and I knew all about the controversy surrounding Floyd Landis’ win last year (at least, I knew what the media was saying about it). However, I knew nothing about the details of cycling until this past week.

For those of you who may not know, I work in a bookstore. Last Sunday, June 24, I went in to check my schedule for the following week and I learned that I would be working the night of the Floyd Landis book signing. Not only would I be working, but I was assigned to be the “Book Passer,” the person to take the books from the customers and hand them to Landis. This was nerve-wracking for two reasons: 1) I’ve never met anyone as internationally famous as he is (except maybe Danny Glover) and 2) Standing right next to Floyd all night would put me right in the path of all the cameras and reporters who were sure to be at the event. I’m not a fan of attention, but I got over that quickly. I was more concerned about the first issue. I decided since I would be spending that much time near the guy I had better know something about him, so I borrowed a copy of his new book Positively False (one of the many great perks of working for a bookstore: we can borrow any hardcover book we want to read).

I read most of the book in less than 24 hours. It was actually rather fascinating. I had no idea how much effort goes into cycling, and how much work is involved. Aside from learning a lot about Floyd’s life, I learned a lot about the sport itself. Here’s just a few things I learned from reading Landis’ book:

1. Professional Cycling is really a team sport. If you’re a cycling fan, don’t laugh. I really didn’t know this. I knew there were “teams” but I always thought it was still every man for himself. I didn’t realize that no one could win without a team, and that entire team basically works so that the leader can win.

2. There are many strategies involved in cycling. Again, I had no idea what all is involved in this sport. Once I learned that cycling is a team sport, I was fascinated to learn how that team works together to help the leader win.

3. I learned what the big deal about the color yellow is. It now makes sense to me why Lance Armstrong chose yellow for his “LiveStrong” bracelets.

Aside from everything I learned about cycling in general, I also learned about the anti-doping system, and about Landis’ case. I had already decided a long time ago that I didn’t really believe he was guilty. I figured he was fighting way too hard and just didn’t seem like the type to cheat. After reading Landis’ book, I’ve decided that he’s really been given a bad deal. From the evidence that his defense team has uncovered it seems like he never should have been accused of doping in the first place. There’s a chapter towards the end of the book that outlines just a few points Landis is using in his defense, and it would seem that the accusations against Landis are the result of some severe gross negligence on the part of the lab.

But enough about his book, time to get to Landis himself. While I was reading his book I thought Landis sounded very cocky and arrogant and I had no idea what to expect when I met him. And, like I said, I had never met anyone as famous as he was.

Friday night arrived and the store was packed long before Landis arrived. What you have to understand is Floyd Landis is from this area. He grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These people know him, know his family and they are very proud of him. He has become quite the hometown hero. And of course everyone here considers him the true winner of the 2006 Tour de France. So naturally it seemed like half the county had shown up to support Landis and get his book signed.

As I said before I wasn’t sure what to expect, but what I found was that Landis was no where near as arrogant as he sounded in his book. He was very honest, open and friendly and he even seemed a little embarrassed to have so many people turn out to meet him. If I hadn’t already decided I believed his side of the story I certainly would have after meeting him because he just does not seem like the kind of guy who would be willing to cheat to win. I don’t think he would want to have anything that he did not work hard to earn.

The evening went by fairly quickly. Landis signed autographs for about three hours. I even got my copy signed (I returned the one I borrowed and just bought a copy). His publicist told us afterward that this was the biggest turnout they’ve had so far (according to the newspaper there were over 500 people there), which is no surprise considering this was his home before he went pro.

After all this I’ve decided I’ll have to follow this year’s Tour, since I now have a better idea what is going on, and I’m really fascinated by all the teamwork that goes into winning the race.

“I’m proud of myself for winning the 2006 Tour de France and proud of the way I did it. If something is worth fighting for, then I’m going to fight, no matter what. Give me a week of bad days like Stage 16 – a month of them – and I will not give up. Once I put my mind to something, I see it through to the end, no matter how hard things get and no matter how long it takes. I am not going to quit, and I am not going away.” (from Positively False)

Now, does that sound like the attitude of a man who is guilty? I don’t think so.