Interesting stuff but Jerry Brewer obviously never came across
Richard Virenque. He wrote the book on protesting innocence with all
sincerity until prove guilty. though lacking Virenques matinee idol
looks, and flamboyance Landis is going down a similar road with his
PR, maybe with a touch of Hamilton thrown in.

I suspect Landis has few options other than to keep protesting his
innocence. No rider has ever faced a fall from such a great height,
and having set out his stall of denial there is no road back. --- In
roadracingukandireland@yahoogroups.com, "SueW" <gswidemark@...> wrote:
>
> Jerry Brewer
> Tireless Landis won't quit pursuit of innocence
>
> By Jerry Brewer
> Times staff Columnist
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis. I
will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> I. Will. Not. Believe. Floyd. Landis.
>
> He cannot be trusted, cannot be admired. He duped us, he doped, and
that's that. Back to bashing Barry Bonds.
>
> Landis visited Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park last Thursday,
trying to promote his new book, "Positively False: The Real Story of
How I Won the Tour de France." What a nightmare that was. A pro-
Landis crowd of about 500 - "Our biggest crowd yet," publicist Brooke
Emerson gushed - came to hear Landis speak, take 25 minutes' worth of
questions and sign books.
>
> Landis did not leave until every question was answered, every book
signed. He seemed like he was having fun.
>
> I thought cheaters ducked and dodged.
>
> "He's just a normal guy," marveled a gray-haired man standing next
to me while Landis spoke. "He has such a nice smile."
>
> Normal? As opposed to diabolical?
>
> A nice smile? As opposed to a sneer?
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis. I
will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> Landis does not come across as a con man who stole the 2006 Tour de
France. He is charming, but not in a syrupy way. If you put him in a
room with 7-year-olds, he would still seem innocent.
>
> In this era of doping, no other busted athlete has proclaimed
purity as long and loud as Landis. No other busted athlete has
written a book. No other busted athlete has cared so much about
changing public perception, even though several have fought similar
legal battles.
>
> Bonds does not care what we think. Neither does Marion Jones. Jason
Giambi lied, later said he was sorry in a non-incriminating manner,
and now he pokes out his lower lip to try to illicit sympathy.
>
> Some stars accused without evidence will not even show their faces
(Mark McGwire) or speak English when the topic is performance-
enhancing drugs (Sammy Sosa).
>
> Yet here is Landis, admittedly in the lower-profile sport of
cycling, fighting.
>
> "Look, that's what WADA [the World Anti-Doping Agency] hopes for,"
Landis said in an interview before his appearance. "They want
athletes to go into hiding, to decide it's not worth fighting for.
They're afraid of having an unfair system exposed for what it is.
They go into these things under the assumption that anybody who wins
any sporting event is guilty of some kind of doping.
>
> "So the means justify the end to them. You can completely fabricate
a result just to say someone's guilty, and to them, that's enough."
>
> Landis alternates between cute stories about his childhood in
Lancaster, Pa., and attacks on The System. It makes him more human,
less of a salesman. His words do not sound rehearsed, although he has
said similar things before. He speaks in a bundle of joy and disgust,
reacts with laughter and rage.
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> A year ago, life was so different. Landis was in the yellow jersey.
He was eight days from winning his first Tour, succeeding Lance
Armstrong and giving America another overcoming-the-odds tale.
>
> Then we learned he had failed a drug test. The science behind it
all confuses the layman. First Landis tested positive for "an
excessive ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone." After that,
there were more tests. Some "B" samples of Landis' urine revealed
synthetic testosterone.
>
> Now he is suspended from his cycling team and trying to reclaim his
reputation. He says he has spent $2 million defending himself. In
May, he attended a bizarre arbitration hearing with the United States
Anti-Doping Agency to attempt to clear his name.
>
> A decision is pending, but that hearing will be remembered for
three-time Tour champion Greg LeMond's shocking claim that Landis'
business manager, Will Geoghegan, threatened to expose details of
LeMond's childhood sexual abuse if he gave bad testimony. Landis has
since fired Geoghegan.
>
> There is a soap opera to everything about Landis' story. In his
book, Landis does a nice job of casting reasonable doubt about his
guilt, especially with claims of shoddy lab work.
>
> "If I did my job the way they did theirs, you never would've heard
of me," Landis said.
>
> Landis knows he cannot win over everyone. Many people are too
cynical. But he also knows that cynicism can work both ways. Many
people love their conspiracy theories.
>
> "Honestly, I hope people don't just believe what I say," Landis
said. "I hope they listen and then look at the facts. They wouldn't
have a case if this were an innocent-until-proven-guilty system.
>
> "I know that I won the Tour. I know I worked hard for 15 years. I
would not have wished this humiliation on anyone, but I know who I
am."
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> He is a cheater; no, he is a victim. He is a sweet talker; no, he
is a sweet man. He is feasting on his infamy; no, he is eager to
claim his innocence.
>
> Thing is, no matter what you think of him, Landis has a point. And
he will not stop making it.
>
> "Americans don't put up with this [expletive]," Landis declared to
the crowd.
>
> That's right!
>
> Right on!
>
> Right?
>
> Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@...
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>