| Controversy at the 2006 Tour de France |
Controversy at the 2006 Tour de France
The 2006 Tour de France was set to be another of a long line of great races. The field, though without multiple time champion and cycling legend Lance Armstrong, was a competitive one, and the route was superb as usual. No one rider was primed to dominate, and the cycling world, while obviously sad to see Lance Armstrong go, was reinvigorated by the prospect of a tight race that nearly anyone could win.
One of the contenders to win was American cyclist Floyd Landis, who had experienced success in the cycling world and was known as a versatile rider who could sprint as well as climb at a high level. He had been personally recruited by Lance Armstrong to race along with him on the U.S. Postal Service team, and had started off 2006 with a couple of wins, including at Paris-Nice. Even though he obviously had all the tools to win the race, he was considered one of many contenders who could do so.
Floyd Landis� chances were bettered when two of the race favorites, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, were suspended and barred from participating just days before the 2006 Tour de France began. However, Landis himself didn�t get off to the greatest start when the race opened. A cut tire in one stage and a handlebar malfunction in another conspired to keep him back from the lead through the first several stages of the race.
However, in the middle portions of the race, Landis surged as he was able to lean on his climbing skills during difficult mountain stages. Unfortunately, on Stage 16, Landis fell far back, going from first place to eleventh in the overall standings. In doing so, he provided himself a stage (no pun intended) to put on a great show of courage and fortitude, although it would later become infamous for more controversial reasons.
During Stage 17, Landis battled to win by over six minutes, coming to close within the lead that was held by Oscar Pereiro. He would continue the comeback in the final stages, and was crowned as the 2006 Tour de France champion in one of the greatest races in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the story didn�t end there. During the mandatory testing at Stage 17, Landis had failed a urine test, as he had an 11:1 ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. Landis quickly denied doping, but his backup test came up with the same result, and he was suspended and released from his team, Phonak.
Landis maintained his innocence, and proposed a variety of ways that his sample may have been tainted, misinterpreted, or resulted from normal human activity, not doping. However, an arbitration did not go Landis� way, and in September of 2007 Pereiro was crowned as the new 2006 Tour de France champion.
Unfortunately, the win by Pereiro, and the exciting finish to the race itself, was marred by the new reality of performance-enhancing drugs and the problems they cause to all sports. Although Pereiro is as legitimate a champion as they come, it�s hard to say that no luster has been taken off his considerable accomplishment after the circus that resulted in the media and in the courts. Landis himself is still fighting for his innocence, but he will likely not be able to change the minds of those who are convinced by the test results. It�s truly unfortunate that such a historic year of a legendary event was decided in the courtroom, and not on the roads of France.
PPPPP
Word Count 590
|
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Philippe Thys Philippe Thys, one of the better Belgian cyclists of all time, ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Philippe Thys Philippe Thys, one of the better Belgian cyclists of all time, ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil is famous for being the first cyclist to ever ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich was one of the great riders and personalities of ...
read more
The Route of Champions: The 2008 Tour de France Race Route Every year, hundreds of French towns dream of being ...
read more
Variety is Everything: Stage Types of the Tour de France One of the things that makes the Tour de France ...
read more
Understanding the Rules of the Tour de France To the uninitiated, the world of cycing and specifically, the Tour de ...
read more
Tragedy at the Tour de France Fabio Casartelli, like many young cyclists, dreamed of achieving infamy in the Tour de ...
read more
The Tour de France: The First Extreme Sports Event? These days, with skateboarders and BMX bikers doing backflips and covering ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lucien Petit-Breton Lucien Petit-Breton was not only one of the first dominant riders ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Laurent Fignon Laurent Fignon was a two time winner of the Tour de ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Bernard Hinault One of the legendary personalities and riders in the history of ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Miguel Indurain Miguel Indurain will always be known as one of the greatest ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lucien van Impe Lucien van Impe was one of the better cyclists of ...
read more
The Tour de France: A Beginner�s Guide The Tour de France is an incredibly exciting event that is followed by ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Greg LeMond Greg LeMond was the first American to ever win the Tour ...
read more
Understanding the Rules of the Tour de France To the uninitiated, the world of cycing and specifically, the Tour de ...
read more
Variety is Everything: Stage Types of the Tour de France One of the things that makes the Tour de France ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Bernard Hinault One of the legendary personalities and riders in the history of ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Joop Zoetemelk Joop Zoetemelk was a cyclist from the Netherlands who is widely ...
read more
Controversy at the 2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was set to be another of a long ...
read more
Tragedy at the Tour de France Fabio Casartelli, like many young cyclists, dreamed of achieving infamy in the Tour de ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Laurent Fignon Laurent Fignon was a two time winner of the Tour de ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Gustave Garrigou Gustave Garrigou was one of the first great riders in the ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Louison Bobet Louison (or �Louis�) Bobet was one of the great post-war French ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lucien van Impe Lucien van Impe was one of the better cyclists of ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Eddy Merckx Eddy Merckx is regarded by many to be the best cyclist ...
read more
Controversy at the 2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was set to be another of a long ...
read more
...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich was one of the great riders and personalities of ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Gustave Garrigou Gustave Garrigou was one of the first great riders in the ...
read more
The Yellow Jersey: A Standard of Excellence When you think of the most iconic trophies in all of sport, you ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Louison Bobet Louison (or �Louis�) Bobet was one of the great post-war French ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lance Armstrong Even those who are relatively unfamiliar with the ins and outs ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Miguel Indurain Miguel Indurain will always be known as one of the greatest ...
read more
The Tour de France: A Beginner�s Guide The Tour de France is an incredibly exciting event that is followed by ...
read more
The Tour de France, Explained Millions of people worldwide are transfixed each and every year as the annual Tour de ...
read more
The Yellow Jersey: A Standard of Excellence When you think of the most iconic trophies in all of sport, you ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lucien Petit-Breton Lucien Petit-Breton was not only one of the first dominant riders ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Lance Armstrong Even those who are relatively unfamiliar with the ins and outs ...
read more
The First Tour de France: A Humble Beginning The Tour de France is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and ...
read more
The First Tour de France: A Humble Beginning The Tour de France is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and ...
read more
Cyclists of the Tour de France: Greg LeMond Greg LeMond was the first American to ever win the Tour de ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Eddy Merckx Eddy Merckx is regarded by many to be the best cyclist ...
read more
The Route of Champions: The 2008 Tour de France Race Route Every year, hundreds of French towns dream of being ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Joop Zoetemelk Joop Zoetemelk was a cyclist from the Netherlands who is widely ...
read more
Planning the Route of the Tour de France For a race with the tradition and amazing legacy of the Tour ...
read more
The Tour de France: The First Extreme Sports Event? These days, with skateboarders and BMX bikers doing backflips and covering ...
read more
Planning the Route of the Tour de France For a race with the tradition and amazing legacy of the Tour ...
read more
The Tour de France, Explained Millions of people worldwide are transfixed each and every year as the annual Tour de ...
read more
Great Cyclists of the Tour de France: Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil is famous for being the first cyclist to ever ...
read more
|
|
|
Disclaimer:
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in
the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not
warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate
due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site
is a common sense guide to Controversy at the 2006 Tour de France. In practical advice websites,
like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made.
Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their
individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site
is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or
financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent
professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any
perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
|