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Piling On

Obviously I'm more in the innocent-til-proven camp when it comes to the Landis matter, even if that sounds naive or unpopularly lenient among our community. Reasonable minds will nonetheless differ.

Anyway, that's why I get pissed off when I see this, via CN:

However, race director Nick Sepke told the New York Times that while everyone was disappointed to make the decision to ask Landis to not appear, even to sign autographs, it was the best decision at this time. "We didn't want that image associated with our event," said Sepke. "The people here, Floyd's people, everyone was disappointed with it, but we didn't want to do anything to damage our event."

The "event" we're talking about is apparently a piddly little race in suburban Chicago called the Tour of Elk Grove. That's what must be protected at all costs from "that image". To the director, who I am guessing gets all his information from what he reads, and who I am guessing has not had access to Landis' tests which would allow him to base his decision on any real expertise (should he actually possess any), Landis is guilty. Or maybe this Mr. Sepke isn't sure, but rather than do anything humane, he's decided he can get quoted in the New York Times by joining in the anti-Floyd feeding frenzy.

"That image". Look, we are all entitled to decide what we think Floyd did, as so many have done here. That's cool, and like I said, reasonable minds will differ. But virtually nobody actually knows about Floyd's guilt or innocence. Which is why it's complete bullshit for people like this to make up their minds, embarass Landis, and publicly take their fashionable position to the tut-tutting non-Cycling media. Sepke and the Elk Grove Tour, with their judge and jury mentality, can go slouch off back to obscurity now that they've had their 15 minutes; they never deserved the company of a guy like Floyd Landis anyway.