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Landis has an eye on Leadville 100

Race official wants cyclist, regardless of ruling by panel

Brian Metzler, Special to the Rocky

Published June 26, 2007 at midnight

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Despite a lackluster showing at the Teva Mountain Games earlier this month in Vail, Floyd Landis said he will back in Colorado for another bike race.

While in Vail earlier this month, the embattled 2006 Tour de France champion confirmed he plans to ride in the Leadville 100 bike race on Aug. 11 with former U.S. Postal teammate and current coach Robbie Ventura.

The 100-mile mountain bike race starts in Leadville and sends riders along trails and dirt roads of the upper Arkansas River Valley before returning to the finish line in Leadville.

A ruling is expected in the coming weeks - likely before the July 7 start of the Tour de France - to determine whether Landis will keep his Tour title or be stripped of the victory and be suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs.

If the verdict from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency-appointed arbitration panel goes against him, Landis is expected to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

If suspended, Landis would be ineligible to compete in any event sanctioned by the International Cycling Union (UCI)or USA Cycling for two years, as well as two additional years for Pro Tour events such as the Tour de France.

Although the Leadville 100 is a stand-alone race unaffiliated with the competitive mountain bike points series circuit in the U.S., it is sanctioned by NORBA (USA Cycling's mountain bike division) primarily for insurance purposes.

But even if suspended, the 31-year-old former mountain bike pro can still ride in Leadville, assuming he has the interest and the energy after a tour to promote his book. Race director Ken Chlouber said he'll drop the -NORBA affiliation and pick up insurance through an independent carrier if Landis is suspended.

"I'm hopeful that the arbitration board gives him complete exoneration from those charges," Chlouber said. "But I'm not tied to NORBA. I can get the insurance from other places, so if he can still do a race that's not sanctioned by NORBA, then he'll be able to race here."

Landis finished a disappointing 36th in a 21-mile mountain bike race on June 2 at the Teva Mountain Games, getting passed by women's winner Shonny Vanlandingham on the second of the race's three laps. The next day, Landis placed eighth in a 9.7-mile road bike hill climb up Vail Pass.

Landis said he didn't train much during May because of his two-week hearing with the arbitration panel. Beginning today, he'll be busy promoting his book, Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won The Tour de France, timed to hit shelves before the start of this year's Tour.

"Hopefully between now and then I can train a little," said Landis, admitting he was woefully out of shape in Vail. "I'll be a little better in Leadville than I was (in Vail), I hope."

In Vail, Landis had many more supporters than detractors. Several riders and fans congratulated him after the mountain bike race, a few thanking him for showing up. But there were a handful of athletes and spectators who made derogatory remarks and wore "Dopers Suck" shirts, hats and wristbands.

After his win in the Tour's 17th stage last year, Landis allegedly tested positive for a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, and for synthetic testosterone. But he has denied any wrongdoing and claimed through his team of lawyers and medical advisers that the test results were flawed and the French lab that conducted the tests was sloppy.