Family, friends confident 'he will prove his innocence'
By Ad Crable
Updated Feb 19, 2007 15:40
And a close friend of Floyd Landis and his Farmersville parents reiterated her conviction that the Tour de France winner would be proven innocent of doping charges.
But as a second lab test, as expected, showed Landis had an unnatural ratio of testosterone during a pivotal stage of the race, at least one other longtime Landis supporter wasn’t so sure anymore.
“It sounds like Floyd Landis has his work cut out for him,” said Rich Ruoff, a Lancaster race enthusiast who had planned, then postponed, a hometown parade for Landis.
“I’m a fairly cynical person and I believe somebody could have tampered with (the lab results),” Ruoff said this morning while bicycling through Colonial Williamsburg, Va.
But, Ruoff acknowledged he was troubled by doubts.
“I can understand that a professional athlete at that level could be tempted,” he said, adding quickly, “but I also understand how he could be innocent.”
Tammy Martin, who has often served as a spokeswoman for Arlene and Paul Landis, Floyd’s parents, issued a statement this morning that she emphasized represented the Martin family only.
“As longtime friends and neighbors of the Landis family, we have known Floyd all his life. Floyd has proved his outstanding skills as a bicyclist. He has displayed that skill as early as his teen years.
“All he has accomplished he has obtained through hard work and discipline. We are very confident he will prove his innocence. It is very unfortunate these tests were revealed before he had a chance to do so.”
Landis himself, on his floydlandis.com Web site, posted a “Keep the Faith” message to his fans and supporters Friday night, in which he talks about going from “top of the world to the depths of scandal.”
Landis mentions “a hard time for my family and me” but says both “are confident that I will be vindicated.”
A call to the home of Arlene and Paul Landis was not returned this morning.
According to the Landis Web site, which still makes reference to “Tour de France hero Floyd Landis,” the “Train with Floyd” power training camp for January near his home in California is filled.
But Landis stands to lose much monetarily if he fails in his appeals to overturn the doping allegations.
For starters, he would lose a $2.5 million bonus from Phonak, the Swiss racing team that has now fired him.
Landis had one more year left on his three-year, $700,000 contract with Phonak.
Landis also would not receive roughly $570,000 in prize money from the esteemed race itself.
And, of course, the loss of income from potential endorsements would be the biggest financial loss of all.
Mike Farrington, a longtime friend of Landis and owner of Green Mountain Cyclery in Ephrata, declined to answer questions when reached at his home by phone this morning.
He has said that his high opinion of Landis has not wavered since the doping allegations surfaced.
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