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That’s how Floyd Landis signed an open letter to Phonak on his blog at his website.  A very classy letter which can be found here.  I hope he is being truthful and is eventually exonerated and declared the true champion.

In the interim, we have name calling, conviction in the press, uncertainty, etc.  Overall it is a very bad situation.  Does it have to be like this?  Why do the UCI, WADA an the Tour itself feel the need to be so outfront in convicting Floyd before he has been tried by USADA?  For Dick Pound to state that Floyd should come clean and give up the “enablers” certainly presumes guilt doesn’t it?  I think I can see why Lance has issues with Dick Pound.

What I find so unfortunate is the desire of the UCI and WADA to prove they are cleaning up cycling by so much bluster and bravado, that they are bringing unneccessary negativity to the sport. I would guess there is no other sport which tests as much and has such harsh penalties as cycling.  However, with all the hoopla whenever there is the slightest whiff of doping, it makes the sport appear to be comprised of all dopers.  I don’t know how Operacion Puerto is going to end, but are you aware that all the Comunidad Valenciana and Worth Astana (now Astana) riders originally implicated have now been cleared by the Spanish authorities? 

These two teams were barred from the Tour because of Operacion Puerto.  Comunidad Valenciana and Worth have since backed out of sponsorship, and the Phonak team is disbanding after this year.  Can this be good for cycling?  I think not!

I do think what is needed is a little more rational action and due process, rather than running around like Chicken Little screaming “The sky is falling.”  There may be a meteor or a piece of Skylab falling, but certainly not the whole sky.  It is time the leaders of these organizations take some responsiblity and lead with credibility and not bluster.

Those are my thoughts – where do you stand on this issue?