Argues deposed Tour winner is not qualified to speak
Norwegian team leader Thor Hushovd is in Australia making his final preparations for the world road race championship on Sunday. Plenty of other professionals are there, but one rider who he feels should not be present is Floyd Landis.
Landis spoke today on the first day of the New Pathways for Pro Cycling conference in Deakin University in Geelong, and gave his input on the problems affecting the push for a clean sport. Hushovd isn’t happy with that input, saying that he doesn’t believe Landis has the necessary credibility.
“He is certainly free to come to a world championship city, but he has no place in an anti-doping conference,” he told TV 2 Sport. “When you have managed to lie for so many years and spent lots of money in the system, then he has lost my confidence, and probably that of many others too. Then it is the wrong person to get to work on anti-doping issues.”
Landis’s supporters will point out that the American did deny his doping for years, but turned around this year and made a full confession. What has made things more complicated for some is the fact that Landis implicated many others in the course of that confession, including Lance Armstrong, who Hushovd is friendly towards.
Landis has insisted that he would not talk about Armstrong or matters pertaining to the current federal investigation during the conference.
Hushovd said that he believed that things were far better than several years ago. “I feel that we are addressing the problems, and it is most important. I feel that the riders have learned,” he said. “Unfortunately we have some cases as in all other sports, but I feel things are better and more in line. Now it is possible for young riders to win cycling races – look at Edvald [Boasson Hagen], a young Norwegian who wins on natural strength alone. It suggests that we have come far in the sport.”
The tests in this year’sTour de France all came back negative. However Hushovd cautioned by saying that he doesn’t believe that no riders are using banned substances, warning that human nature is such that certain riders will always be tempted to cut corners.
“There is probably always a cheater out there who take shortcuts, whether it is in cycling, another sport or in business,” he stated. “But the important thing is that you take the issue seriously and that most understand that you have a lot to lose. I feel that this is where the sport is today.”
The 32 year old is regarded as one of the favourites for a medal on Sunday. He is a very fast sprinter, but also one who can climb reasonably well. The circuit in Geelong is a very tough one and initial predictions that a bunch sprint was practically guaranteed have given way to expectations that the race will be more combative than that.