Two weeks after the end of his two-year ban on competing in professional cycling, Lancaster County native Floyd Landis will return to racing.
On Valentine’s Day, Landis will be at the start line of the Amgen Tour of California as leader of the new OUCH presented by Maxxis team, Cyclingnews announced this week.
Brent Kay, Landis’s personal doctor and co-founder of the OUCH Sports Medical Center of Temecula, California, said the team will provide the opportunity to highlight osteoarthritis and the possibilities of joint replacement. Landis, with the artificial hip he had implanted in 2006, will be showcased, Kay said.
“It will be Floyd’s first race back in the professional peloton. He’s been doing great and his hip has performed really well. In some respects, he’s doing even better than before because his arthritic hip was a disaster, in 2005 in particular. So we’re really looking forward to seeing the Bionic Man back out there racing, and demonstrating that you can effectively treat and live with osteoarthritis,” said Kay.
OUCH is taking over the title sponsorship of what had been theHealthNet-Maxxis team since 2003.
Landis won the Tour of California in 2006 as head of the Phonak squad. He went on to win the 2006 Tour de France before having his title stripped from him after arbiters ruled he had used artificial testosterone. Landis unsuccessfully appealed that ruling, and the accompanying ban on racing. His latest appeal was to the U.S. Circuit Court. That appeal was dropped last week, Velonews reported.
In a related note, PodiumCafe noted yesterday the ending of the Trust but Verify website, which has been the clearinghouse for information on Landis’doping case for two and half years. With Landis’ return to racing, the excellent site was no longer needed.
Landis will reportedly be the leader of the OUCH team. With him will beAustralian standout Rory Sutherland, five-time national cyclocross champion Tim Johnson, and Topton resident Bobby Lea, who raced this year for the Rite Aid team.
