NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Floyd Landis said he regretted doping during his cycling career, but stated that the sport’s corrupt governance during that time created an environment where cheating was required.
Landis, 37, made the comments Thursday in front of a crowd of approximately 200 people at Yale University’s Law School during an hour-long panel on doping in sports. Landis spoke alongside U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart, Garmin-Sharp pro cycling team CEO Jonathan Vaughters and professor Thomas Murray, chair of ethical review for the World Anti-Doping Agency.
“It appeared to me that the very federation running the sport and tasked with enforcing the rules was uninterested in doing so,” Landis said. “The majority of the cyclists that I knew were using drugs. It was either do it or accept the fact that I wouldn’t reach the goals I had set for myself.”
The discussion, titled “Spinning Our Wheels,” was organized by Landis, whose 2006 Tour de France victory was erased after he tested positive for synthetic testosterone. It was Landis’ first public appearance since he admitted in 2010 to using banned substances during his 11-year pro career. In his admission to USADA and USA Cycling, Landis also pointed the finger at other American cyclists who had doped, including his former teammate on the U.S. Postal Service team, Lance Armstrong.
Landis spoke about his decision to come clean after fighting the doping allegations for nearly four years.
“I didn’t have a clear way in my mind that I was going to reverse the course and tell the truth,” Landis said. “At some point I just conceded in my mind that I didn’t care what the outcome was going to be, I decided to tell the truth.”
The panel discussed doping in broad terms, with Murray talking about the scientific “arms race” created within sports where doping is prevalent. The half dozen reporters who attended were prohibited from asking questions, however microphones were open to the public.
Fans were told not to ask about Landis’ whistleblower lawsuit against Armstrong, which the U.S. Justice Department joined last week. The discussion was moderated by Jacob Stewart Hacker, director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale, who asked questions about cycling’s governing body and the science behind drug testing.
Tygart, whose investigation into Armstrong led to the Texan’s lifetime ban and the loss of his seven Tour de France titles, said he supported a truth and reconciliation process to help guide cycling out of its dark past. He said he believes giving reduced sanctions to athletes who willingly come forward about doping can help shed light on the culture of cheating.
“You can’t give athletes a free pass, but you have to look at them as being victims of this culture,” Tygart said. “You need to dismantle the system that allowed the culture to flourish.”
Vaughters, who admitted to having used banned substances in an editorial in The New York Times and who testified during USADA’s Armstrong case, said he believes cycling is cleaner now than during his and Landis’ era. Vaughters referenced power-to-weight data, and said a rider who won the Tour de France during the late 1990’s to mid 2000’s had to maintain 6.5 watts per kilogram. Vaughters said his current team star Ryder Hesjedal won last year’s Tour of Italy at 5.9 watts-per-kilogram.
“It’s about 10 percent less than in our era,” Vaughters said. Vaughters then asked Landis if he could have maintained 5.9 watts-per-kilogram during his prime, without drugs. Landis said yes.
“It’s a tragedy that we’ll never know whether Floyd could have won the Tour de France clean in a different environment,” Vaughters added. “It’s a possibility, it could have happened.”
After the panel, Landis received applause as he was hurried out of the hall. Reactions from audience members were predominantly positive, however several said the discussion was too general. “I thought we were going to have some proposed solutions for how to handle [doping],” said Brian Wester, 42, who described himself as a lifelong cycling fan.
Before ducking into dinner at a restaurant with Vaughters, Tygart and Murray, Landis said he was likely done with public discussions about doping. He said he proposed the talk as a way to bring dialogue about doping to the law students at Yale.
“I just wanted something positive to come out of what I went through,” Landis said. “If I could get some outside perspective from some smart kids, maybe it could lead to some change.”
