Floyd Landis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Floyd Landis

Landis in 2009
Personal information
Born	(1975-10-14) October 14, 1975 (age 49) Farmersville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 2 TTT stages (2003, 2004) Vuelta a España 1 TTT stage (2004) Stage races Paris–Nice (2006) Tour of California (2006)

Floyd Landis (born October 14, 1975) is an American who used to be a professional road racing cyclist. He was set to be the third non-European winner of the 2006 Tour de France. However, he was disqualified because tests showed he had used performance-enhancing drugs. The race was then won by Óscar Pereiro.

Landis was a strong all-around rider. He was especially good at climbing hills, time-trialing, and going downhill fast. He became a professional cyclist in 1999. He joined the U.S. Postal Service team in 2002. Later, in 2005, he moved to the Phonak Hearing Systems team. In 2010, a judge in France issued an arrest warrant for Landis. This was due to computer hacking charges related to the doping claims from the 2006 Tour de France.

For a long time, Landis said he was innocent. He was suspended from professional cycling until January 30, 2009. This decision was made by a special panel in 2007. He tried to appeal this decision, but it was upheld. In January 2011, he could not find a new team. This meant his professional cycling career ended. On May 20, 2010, after almost four years, Landis admitted he had used performance-enhancing drugs. He also said that Lance Armstrong and many other top riders on his team had done the same.

Early Life and How He Started Cycling

Floyd Landis is the second child of Paul and Arlene Landis. He grew up in Farmersville, a village in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He finished high school in 1994. His family was Mennonite, a religious group.

Floyd first used a bike for fishing with his friend. But he soon loved riding for fun. He decided to enter a local race. He had to wear sweatpants because his religion did not allow shorts.

His father did not like him racing bikes. He thought it was "useless." To stop Floyd, his father gave him extra chores. This left no time to train during the day. So, Floyd would sneak out at night to train. Sometimes he rode at 1 or 2 a.m., even in the freezing cold. His father found out and would follow him from a distance. He wanted to make sure Floyd was not getting into trouble. Later, his father became a big fan of Floyd's cycling.

Cycling Career

Becoming a Mountain Biking Star

Landis at the 2006 Tour of California

Floyd Landis won the very first mountain bike race he entered. In 1993, he became the U.S. junior national champion. He often told his friends he would win the Tour de France one day. When he was 20, Landis moved to Southern California. He wanted to train full-time as a mountain biker. He became known for being tough. Once, he finished a race riding only on his wheel rims.

His training was more like that of a road cyclist. So, in 1999, he switched to road cycling.

Joining the Big Teams

Landis did so well in road cycling that Lance Armstrong asked him to join the U.S. Postal team. Landis rode with Armstrong as a helper, called a domestique, from 2002 to 2004. During these races, Landis helped Armstrong win his Tour titles. Landis was Armstrong's main helper. He would push the pace in the mountains to break up the group of riders. Then, Armstrong would ride ahead to win the stage.

In the 2004 Tour, Landis led Armstrong and other top rivals over the last big climb. His strength was so impressive that actor Robin Williams called him the "Mofo of the Mountains." Because of his strong rides, some people thought he could become a team leader. They even thought he might win the Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey) someday. Landis left the U.S. Postal team later that year. He got a better offer from the Phonak team.

In the 2005 Tour de France, Landis finished ninth overall. This was his best finish in the Tour at that time. Landis started the 2006 season very well. He won the Amgen Tour of California and then the important Paris–Nice race. Both were week-long stage races. Winning Paris–Nice put Landis in first place for 2006 in the UCI ProTour. He also won the Ford Tour de Georgia.

Dealing with a Hip Injury

Landis's performance in the 2006 Tour was amazing, especially his comeback in stage 17. This was even more impressive because he had a hip problem. It was called osteonecrosis. This means the ball joint of his right hip was breaking down. It happened because of poor blood supply. The problem started from a broken bone in his hip. He got this injury in a bike crash in 2002.

Landis kept his hip problem a secret from his teammates and rivals. He did not tell the media until the 2006 Tour was happening. Other famous athletes like Bo Jackson also had this same problem.

Landis rode the 2006 Tour with constant pain. He said, "It's bad, it's grinding, it's bone rubbing on bone." He felt an ache like arthritis. He could take cortisone for his injury during the Tour. This medicine is usually not allowed in cycling. He called his first-place finish "a triumph of persistence" despite the pain. However, he was stripped of his win on September 20, 2006.

Landis had hip surgery on September 27, 2006.

The Doping Case: 2006–2007

Landis in 2006

On July 27, 2006, Landis's team, Phonak, announced something important. Landis had tested positive for a high level of testosterone after stage 17 of the 2006 Tour de France. Landis said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs. He hoped a test of his backup sample would prove him innocent. But the backup sample also tested positive. Because of this, Landis was suspended from cycling and removed from his team.

On September 20, 2007, Landis was found guilty of doping. He was banned from the sport for two years. This ban started in January 2007. Landis appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS upheld the ban on June 30, 2008.

In 2009, a French newspaper reported that information had been stolen from a French anti-doping lab. The information was sent from a computer linked to Landis's former coach. Landis and his coach denied any involvement. However, in 2010, a French judge issued an arrest warrant for Landis for hacking.

During 2006 and 2007, Landis asked supporters for money to help pay his legal bills. He denied doping at the time. Later, in 2012, Landis admitted to wrongdoing regarding the money he raised. He agreed to pay back some of the money.

Coming Back to Cycling and His Admission

After his two-year ban ended in 2009, Landis returned to cycling. He joined the OUCH Pro Cycling Team in the U.S. His first race back was the 2009 Tour of California. He finished 23rd. Landis left the OUCH team at the end of 2009. He wanted to race in longer, tougher races in Europe. For the 2010 season, he joined the Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team. However, after Landis admitted to doping and accused other cyclists, the Bahati Team struggled. Landis raced alone in July 2010.

Landis could not find a team in the following months. In January 2011, he decided to end his cycling career.

On May 20, 2010, Landis admitted to doping. He had previously strongly denied it. He sent emails to cycling and anti-doping officials. In these emails, he said he had used performance-enhancing drugs from June 2002 through his 2006 Tour de France win. He also accused several former teammates, including Lance Armstrong, of using banned substances. Landis claimed there was blood doping in the 2004 Tour de France.

Armstrong and his team said that Landis only made these accusations after he was denied a contract with their team. Landis also claimed he helped other riders use banned substances. In an interview, Landis denied using synthetic testosterone in the 2006 Tour de France. But he admitted to using human growth hormone and other doping methods. The 2006 Tour de France was the only race where evidence showed Landis had used banned substances. Landis said his emails were meant to clear his mind.

Landis stated that Armstrong told him in 2002 that their team director had a "financial arrangement" with the International Cycling Union (UCI). This was to keep details of a positive test on Armstrong a secret. The UCI president said Landis's claims were "completely untrue." He said Landis was "seeking revenge."

Both the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. government started looking into Landis's accusations. Landis also filed a lawsuit against Armstrong. He claimed that Armstrong and team managers cheated the U.S. government. This was because they took money from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) while doping. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice joined this lawsuit. The case was settled in April 2018. Armstrong agreed to pay the U.S. government $5 million. Landis received $1.1 million for his role in bringing the case forward.

After Cycling

In 2011, Landis said he planned to race professionally in NASCAR.

In November 2011, Landis and his former coach were found guilty of "benefiting from" hacking into an anti-doping lab's computers. They both received suspended sentences. In 2012, Landis admitted to wrongdoing related to money he raised for his legal defense. He was ordered to pay back $487,000. He made a deal to avoid further legal action if he paid the money.

Floyd Landis is played by actor Jesse Plemons in the 2015 movie The Program. The film is about Lance Armstrong.

Landis's famous attack in the 2006 Tour de France was remembered in the 2018 Giro d'Italia. Another cyclist, Chris Froome, made a similar long solo ride to win a stage. A fellow rider described it as "doing a Landis."

In 2018, Landis announced he would start a new professional cycling team. He said the money for the team would come from the settlement of the Lance Armstrong lawsuit. The team would be managed by Gord Fraser. However, in 2019, Landis announced the team would close after just one year.

Career Achievements

Major Results

Grand Tour Results Timeline

Grand Tour	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	61	77	23	9	1
Vuelta a España	—	76	DNF	DNF	—

See also

In Spanish: Floyd Landis para niños

• List of doping cases in cycling