Floyd Landis biography

Synopsis

Profile

Athlete, cyclist. Born October 14, 1975 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Flloyd Landis is the second oldest of six children in an observant Mennonite family. He began riding mountain bikes as a teenager. When he was 20, he moved to California to race road bikes. A time-trial specialist and strong climber, Landis turned pro in 1999 with the Mercury Cycling Team.

From 2002 to 2004, Landis rode with the U.S. Postal team, helping teammate Lance Armstrong win the Tour de France each year. Landis then decided to team with Phonak instead of joining U.S. Postal's new incarnation as the Discovery Channel team. The move unwittingly started a feud with Armstrong; the two cyclists were even seen shouting at each other from their bike's during several stages of the 2005 Tour de France, which Armstrong won.

In 2006, Landis made an impressive show at the Tour de France, including a sensational ride in stage 17, when his solo breakaway over the French mountains beat the field by nearly six minutes. The win was particularly remarkable given that Landis was planning to have hip replacement surgery later that year.After winning the prestigious Tour, however, Landis was fired from Phonak when he was found to have used a banned synthetic testosterone.

In May, Landis testified before a three-member panel that he had not used drugs and cited incompetence at the French laboratory where his urine sample was tested. He lost his doping case and his Tour de France title. On September 20, 2007, the American Arbitration Association upheld the results of a test that showed the American cyclist used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback victory in the 2006 Tour de France. He was also subject to a two-year ban, retroactive to January 30, 2007. The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said the ruling was "a victory for all clean athletes and everyone who values fair and honest competition." Landis, who steadfastly denied using performance-enhancing drugs, called the ruling "a blow to athletes and cyclists everywhere."

Landis and his wife, Amber Basile, live in San Diego, California.

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