20 May 2010

Landis goes Postal

Why Floyd?

This morning I was traveling, enroute to California, sitting in the airport in Denver when I spotted a nice Mennonite couple with their young baby. Dopers. What did I just think to myself? Dopers! What? This is clearly my dissappointment talking.

Yes I am dissapointed in Floyd Landis. What was I thinking believing in him? What was he thinking, admitting to guilt in doping as a professional cyclist after all these years? After all the money and time spent, and dragging his family through this mess with him. Floyd lied to his Mennonite Mother!

Floyd Landis also accepted money from supporters fighting in his defense. Free Floyd is a fraud. Worse yet, we now watch as Floyd attempts to drag his old US Postal teammates down with him.

I spoke with my brother on the phone about the breaking news this morning. I said, "it's as if Floyd has gone "postal", if he is going down, he wants to take others with him".

And why? Because it has finally hit Landis that his cycling career is finished. That his time is over. Perhaps he cannot accept the lack of attention that comes with a life unrealized. He cannot accept where he himself stepped down the wrong path.

Social pressure used to keep people in, but now, there is more acceptance in coming out, admitting guilt and then making the expected welcoming comeback. Admitting guilt has become part of the modern comeback.

I think Landis is wrong about this one. There will be no coming back for him.

I cannot accept his explanation that he is coming out now because he can no longer live the lie. I believe that a man that can no longer live his own lie, does not need to divulge the lies of others as justification for his own behavior.

That is a lonely desperate act, not a noble act. It is sad indeed to watch a man knowingly cause harm to himself and intentionally cause harm to others. I was one of the fans that long ago believed he was so much more.