The Sports Truth

Let this be a lesson to all those kids who are thinking of injecting themselves with testosterone the evening before a major cycling event: you’re hurting more than just yourself in the process.

When Floyd Landis joined the likes of Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Justin Gatlin and every other athlete that ever took performance enhancing drugs, he killed more than his own cycling career. It appears as though he’s ended that of Team Phonak, as well.

Owner Andy Rihs said this week he’s been unable to find a buyer for his team since Landis, who should be stripped of his Tour de France title any day now, was busted for doping.

“I’ve had to do something I’ve never done in my whole life: Give up,” Rihs said.

Cue the violins, sports fans. No way the team knew about Floyd’s drug stash, right? After all, only 10 other doping cases have been brought up against the Swiss-based team since it was created seven years ago.

That’s not even a full dozen!

The Swiss hearing-aid firm had already decided to pull its sponsorship because of doping issues. American company iShares, a subsidiary of Barclays Bank, was to replace Phonak as title sponsor in 2007, but the deal was called off after Landis’ positive doping tests.

Rihs contends the Landis doping scandal led to the shutdown of the team.

“I am deeply disappointed because what he did was what led to this decision,” Rihs said. “I would never say this is a bad person because he played bad. I regret what he has done for him, too.”

And we’d never say Rihs was a phony because he spewed fallacious words. We regret what they have done to him, too.

Posted in Floyd Landis, Steroids, Tour de France