Looks like UltraRob's got the inside line on a rumor that Floyd Landis may be racing in the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race this year. If true that would pit him directly against his once teammate, turned rival, quasi-supporter, Lance Armstrong.
Here's a quote from an e-mail sent by the moderator of a Yahoo Group that discusses the LT 100:
Hi Everyone. Ok, it has been confirmed. Merilee said that Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis will be doing the race in 2007. The excitement continues!
This would be quite an interesting development if it pans out. It makes sense if you think about it. Floyd got his start in cycling as a mountain biker and was quite good from all accounts. Now it looks like he is starting to believe that his career is over no matter how the doping allegations turn out. Why not turn to your roots and perhaps breathe a second-life into a career that will no doubt turn ugly on the road cycling pro-circuit given the circumstances?
I wonder if this was (look at me, I'm already talking like the rumor has been confirmed) an intentional move to battle an old time rival or planned by Lance and Floyd together as a publicity stunt?
Either way if the speculation proves true it's sure to be exciting.
I guess mountain biking is the new mountain biking.
Unfortunately, I can't find any photos of Floyd on a mountain bike. The only ones I have seen were from Spokes Magazine, a mid-atlantic monthly that does not seem to have a Web site.
UPDATE December 20, 2006: A press release confirms this story as reported by BikingBis. Ultrarob still ponders how Landis will be eligible to race in this NORBA sanctioned event if he is under suspension. Interestingly, VeloNews reports that the event is not NORBA sanctioned, despite this quote from the Leadville Trail 100 website: "This is a NORBA sanctioned race. NORBA rules apply with some exceptions. Due to the extreme nature of this race, NORBA points are not awarded."
Oh...and I added the photo above after Solobreak discovered it on Jonathan S. McElvery's Web site. McElvery photographs cycling events and has quite the archive...check it out.
UPDATE #2 December 20, 2006: Only a few short hours after my first update. VeloNews corrected it's report. No correction was noted. Dirtpedaler picked up on this too.
