Landis Is Back?!?!?!

A day after everyone in the cycling community wrote off Floyd Landis, he's back. Landis entered yesterday's daunting climb through the Alps as the favorite to win the Tour de France. He was already wearing the yellow jersey and had just finished strongly at L'Alpe d'Huez, the event's most storied mountain climb. Then came the Wednesday's stage.

By nearly all accounts, Landis hit the proverbial wall yesterday. That or the wall hit him. Either way, the result wasn't pretty. Landis found himself not only out of the yellow jersey, but a shocking eight minutes behind the race leader. That's a significant chunk of time late in the race. If Landis was out of gas after Wednesday's trek upward, it didn't seem likely he could gain back much time in today's final jaunt through the mountains.

So what did the Team Phonak rider do? Landis came back to win today's stage. The American cyclist is now in third place only thirty seconds behind the race leader. If Landis can stay on his bike tomorrow and can duplicate his earlier time trial performance Saturday, a discipline neither of his competitors is quite as good at, Landis could actually win this race.

Now, for my one reader who is still here after three paragraphs of Tour de France talk, let me add why this is noteworthy beyond the race's own prestige. Landis is scheduled for hip replacement. Not just ordinary hip surgery, as if that wouldn't be bad enough. No, Landis is looking at a new hip after the race. We talk about an athlete's courage, but Landis' performance today may have re-defined gut check.

I know what you are thinking. Brian, buddy, it's bicycling. Yeah, well, I get winded thinking about pedaling up the 7-11 to grab a Slurpee and this guy is win racing through the Alps? I doubt too many of us could even manage to climb up the Alps on a bike and a guy whose about to get a new hip wins a race through the mountains? Come on. That's plain embarrassing. Fine, it's embarrassing, for me. You, I'm sure, could navigate such terrain easily.

None of you are going to watch the Tour. And fewer even care. I realize that. It's not everyone's cup of tea. But, Floyd Landis exhibited all the things we admire about athletes and sports today--courage, determination and effort. He also won, something else we all prefer. His ride today deserves some attention. Mine, anyway.