In a move intended to clear his conscience, American cyclist Floyd Landis attempted to sully the reputation of former teammate and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong by alleging that Armstrong was aided by a wide variety of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Lance hasn't responded yet but the cycling team manager Johan Bruyneel has. Floyd Landis pointed the finger at Bruyneel as the man who allegedly introduced Landis to PEDs, and Johan Bruyneel has fashioned an appropriate response on Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong website.
Source for this article: Lance Armstrong responds to Landis drug accusations via manager
Lance Armstrong, as outlined by Bruyneel, didn't participate in doping
Johan Bruyneel, manager of previous Lance Armstrong/Floyd Landis cycling team U.S. Postal (which is now Team RadioShack), told the media that every allegation Floyd Landis made is a huge lie. Bruyneel claims that as soon as Landis tested optimistic following his 2006 Tour de France victory, he started to contact Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong and threatened blackmail, maybe even demanding installment loan. Ever since then, as outlined by Bruyneel, Floyd Landis changed his story about PEDs numerous times and even wrote a book about the affair. ”For me, it’s clear we’re dealing with someone who’s bitter,” Bruyneel explained. “Floyd has always been an angry person, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad.” In other words, while that energy sometimes motivated Landis to perform in his sport, other times! it caused him to lash out at those who wanted to be his friend. Both Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel are uncertain as to Floyd Landis’ timing, whether there was a reason to come forward right now with a new story.
A distraction for Team RadioShack
Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel would like to put the Floyd Landis situation behind them as Team RadioShack prepares for the Tour of California. In Bruyneel’s words, the Landis accusations aren’t even extortion, but rather “a sad story”:
“Knowing the personality, his history, having had him on the team, I mean we took Floyd on the team when he was in bad financial shape following the Mercury fiasco and he had no money. I remember he told me, ‘Luckily you got me on the team because I was almost forced to sell my house to pay my bills.’ Since then I think it's been up and down for Floyd, and I would advise him to look for professional help, and I'm not talking about lawyers, I'm talking about other help.”
On top of the world was Floyd Landis
Floyd Landis' Tour de France victory in 2006 made him a household name. Unfortunately, his struggles with cycling officials have upstaged any good that may have come from his achievement. After being rumored to be on the same PEDs and Landis, Armstrong passed many drug tests. Most cycling authority has been satisfied by that except for a couple French officials who might just be mad that he dominated the Tour de France. Floyd Landis has damaged the reputation of American cycling, perhaps beyond repair. The mess might have to be cleaned up by an additional young cyclist with the will and ability of Lance Armstrong.
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Johan Bruyneel
http://www.livestrong.com/teamradioshack/news_johan-bruyneel-comments-landis-situation/
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