What To Think

The last two nights have been really fun. There were roller races at Bar 169 on Tuesday night; that is Dave Perry in the foreground of the picture. I love how the Bikeworks jersey has the roller-racing dial on the shoulder! You can also see Arone Dyer just off the right hand side of the frame.

As I was getting ready to leave the bar a guy in a dark overcoat leaned into me and whispered, "you oughtta stick around...Floyd Landis is going to be here in half an hour." I whispered back, "I will see him tomorrow night."

Wednesday night, I went to the Brooklyn Brewery for a benefit for the Floyd Fairness Fund. The FFF is raising money for Floyd's defense against the doping charges that arose in the 2006 Tour de France. I went to the presentation with an open mind; I truly WANT to believe that Floyd is innocent. They gave what I assume is a brief presentation of the facts as they see them and the problems with the doping allegations against Floyd, including a few labeling and handling errors. The data and terminology is all unfamiliar to me and I can't say that I was entirely convinced, but it did look like there were legitimate questions as to whether the sample could positively be linked to Floyd. What I did find convincing was the look in Floyd's eyes when he answered that he had not during the 2006 TDF (or ever in his career) used performance enhancing drugs.

The sad part about this case - all doping allegations, really - is that there is no way for Floyd to win this case and have it perceived as anything other than getting off on a technicality. The best revenge for him would be to win the TdF again - I believe he has bowed out of the 2007 Tour.

Floyd seems like a decent and personable guy, he took a moment to sign an autograph for a friend of mine who could not attend and also posed for this picture with my friend Mary-Lynne.