Tour de Floyd

There are very few moments in sports that I would personally classify as inspiring, but Floyd Landis' dominating 124.3-mile ride from Saint-Jean de Maurienne to Morzine today is certainly worthy of such a classification.

Upon rolling out of bed this morning and habitually parking my ass in front of the computer, I didn't even bother to turn on the 'ol idiot box after yesterday's heartbreaking stage, but Adam Ten promptly informed me via the all-too-convenient AIM that I'd be well served to hit the power button. Well, I took my redheaded friend's advice and the other redhead named Floyd took care of the rest.

What an un-fucking-believable ride! I'm not a cycling guru by any means, but I do consider myself an astute observer of human condition and what this guy did today has to go down as one of the single most impressive displays of athleticism, determination and flat-out guts that I've ever seen. Just look at his face in the above photo - he wasn't taking no for an answer. Yesterday, Landis was all but out of the race - hell, he didn't even give himself much of a chance after losing the yellow jersey, not to mention over 30 minutes to the lead riders - but the competitor in him took over and put a hurtin' on everyone who counted him out, including himself. As OLN's Bob Roll - who rarely has anything insightful to say but hit this one right on the head - put it: "He's been riding the pendulum of pain since he started pedaling earlier today, but somehow he managed to put himself back in contention to win this race. ... I never thought I would say it in this Tour, after yesterday, but the truth is, Floyd Landis can win the Tour de France now, and it’s close enough to be tasted."

Now, I fully understand this race is far from over and Floyd very well may not be on top of the podium in Paris come Sunday, but whatever happens, the fact of the matter is this: Landis' ride today not only made an already unpredictable Tour that much more interesting - it made the race.

Quote of the day:

Everybody wants to say, 'I couldn't win because of this or that. To my way of thinking, it doesn't matter if your goddamn head fell off or your legs exploded. If you didn't make it, you didn't make it. One excuse is as good as another.
- Floyd Landis