VeloNews: all credibility lost
December 29th, 2006 |This was a strange year to select some of the winners of the VeloNews Awards, and no category produced a more debatable outcome than top North American man. We chose Floyd Landis, the embattled former Phonak rider who stands accused of cheating his way to victory at the Tour de France. Here’s why.
It’s not about whether we believe Landis is guilty or innocent.
Obviously.
Picking Landis as North American male cyclist of the year is an absurd choice. VeloNews attempts to justify their decision by stating that Landis won the Tour of California in February, Paris-Nice in March and the Tour of Georgia in April, all before he tested positive during the Tour de France.
What is known is that, for six months in 2006, Landis was the dominant North American in the pro peloton.
My response is: so what?
The fact that Landis tested positive in July calls into question everything he accomplished for the whole year. It is typical of VeloNews to ignore the doubt about Landis’ success and give him an award like this while the facts about his positive test have not yet been determined.
I have long noticed VeloNews penchant for rooting for American cyclists, and cyclists who happen to ride for American teams. The lack of coverage of the dust up in Europe over Ivan Basso’s recent signing by the Discovery team is a classic example. Maybe VeloNews should change their name to “The Journal of Competitive American Cycling.”
If VeloNews wanted to make a great pick for the top North American man they could have picked Levi Leipheimer since he won the Dauphiné Libéré in 2006. Or Hincapie, I guess. Neither one of those two guys is embroiled in a doping controversy.
