The October issue of Bicycling magazine is on sale today (R26.95) and features a 12 page spread on Floyd Landis with an exclusive interview with Landis himself as well as 2 expert comments, both with opposing views.In excerpts from the exclusive interview with Bicycling, Floyd Landis talks about what it feels like to be skewered by the press and forced off his bike – and how he pulled off perhaps the greatest feat in Tour De France history.
BICYCLING: So. How's life since the Tour been treating you?
Floyd Landis: Well, those two days before this subject came up were quite good. I had a few days to celebrate my Tour victory, and hopefully we'll get to do that again sooner than later. I will say that I'm very proud of what I did. I won the race clean, and I deserve to celebrate. And regardless of the way this goes, I'm going to have myself a little party because I'm very happy about what I did.
BICYCLING: After the news broke that it was you with the suspicious A sample for testosterone, you went on TV to defend yourself. You looked so uncomfortable.
Landis: The reason why I was nervous, and the reason why some of the statements I made have been used against me to say that I've been contradicting myself, is because the UCI broke its own rules, or the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency. They made public that there was a test with an adverse analytical finding. They tried to explain their rationale for this by claiming that they knew that leaks exist from within the lab to [the French sports newspaper] L'Equipe. Now, in my mind, and I think in the mind of any clear-thinking individual, that indicts them immediately for being involved with someone unethical who is trying to decide whether other people are ethical. Following that, Pat McQuaid, the UCI president, made a statement, again, not a specific name, but saying that it was the "worst-case scenario." Now, unless it was Pat McQuaid who tested positive, the only other logical explanation for what he said was that it was me. He wasn't in any way trying to keep this confidential until after the B sample results were in, which is, according to the rules, the way they're supposed to deal with this.
So, I wasn't given any time to figure out what was going on. I didn't know why it happened, and in my mind I wanted to be myself and try to explain to people what was going on and offer possible explanations and theories, but really I didn't know what was going on.
BICYCLING: You say you're innocent and being falsely accused. Do you feel bitter or cheated?
Landis: I'm trying not to feel bitter and I'm trying not to feel cheated, because I understand and I appreciate what they're trying to do. They're trying to make the sport clean and fair, which is exactly what they should be doing. I also understand, though, that sometimes in any judicial process innocent people get involved and hopefully, if the process works, they're cleared in the end. But that doesn't mean that no innocent person is ever indicted.
On the other hand, if they had followed the protocol which they claim to adhere to, the early parts of this would have gone a lot smoother and it would have at least given me a chance to prepare myself for what I was about to go through. Because I am innocent, and I think I deserve the right to at least know what's coming next. As long as I know what the rules are, I can calculate what's coming next and deal with it.
BICYCLING: And if the UCI had followed the confidentiality rules early on, would you have fared better in the court of public opinion?
Landis: At this point, I think the public is on my side. I've seen a couple of polls, and I hope that people believe me because one fact remains: I won the race cleanly and fairly, and I'm proud of that. The other thing, the explanations I tried to come up with early on, I regret having said them, because I don't know what the explanation is. I was just trying to say, "Look, there is another explanation besides what they're saying."
For the full exclusive interview get your copy of the October issue of Bicycling on sale now.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Landis, Guilty or Not Guilty?
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Alonso is a bad loser
Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso has launched a scathing attack on Michael Schumacher following the German driver's announcement that he will retire at the end of the season.
The 25-year-old Spaniard accused seven-times world champion Schumacher of being the most unsporting driver in the history of the sport.
He also compared Schumacher's departure unfavourably with that of French footballer Zinedine Zidane whose last act before retiring was to be sent off for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest during the World Cup final.
"Zidane retired with more glory that Schumacher," Alonso was quoted as telling Radio Marca in Tuesday's edition of the Spanish sports daily.
"Michael is the most unsporting driver with the largest number of sanctions in the history of Formula One.
"That doesn't take away from the fact that he has been the best driver and it has been an honour and pleasure to battle against him.
"Everyone has their time and you have to respect his decision. Things will be more equal now."
Alonso also attacked what he saw as institutional bias in favour of Schumacher and his Ferrari team.
"In Formula One there are commercial and political interests," he said.
"We are talking about the most successful driver in history and a little bit of help has never gone amiss. Quite often they go over the line of what is acceptable and it is inexplicable."
NOT RACING
Alonso was demoted five places to 10th on Sunday's Italian Grand Prix starting grid after stewards ruled that the Spaniard had impeded Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa.
The Renault driver, who was adamant he had not blocked Massa, failed to finish the race because of an engine failure and his championship lead over Schumacher was slashed from 12 points to two after the German won the race.
"No one is going to believe the penalty I was given for a long time to come," Alonso said.
"The excuse they gave was far from honest... It isn't good for our sport.
"Sometimes you think about not racing, but you get over that quickly enough and put on you helmet. I was 100 percent convinced that no matter where I started I could earn some points and stay ahead.
"One thing I am clear about, though, is that he who laughs last, laughs longest.
"Anyone can win the remaining races and if we get things right in two of the three races that are left the world championship will be ours."
Alonso and Schumacher will renew their rivalry on the track at the Chinese Grand Prix on Oct. 1.
The 25-year-old Spaniard accused seven-times world champion Schumacher of being the most unsporting driver in the history of the sport.
He also compared Schumacher's departure unfavourably with that of French footballer Zinedine Zidane whose last act before retiring was to be sent off for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest during the World Cup final.
"Zidane retired with more glory that Schumacher," Alonso was quoted as telling Radio Marca in Tuesday's edition of the Spanish sports daily.
"Michael is the most unsporting driver with the largest number of sanctions in the history of Formula One.
"That doesn't take away from the fact that he has been the best driver and it has been an honour and pleasure to battle against him.
"Everyone has their time and you have to respect his decision. Things will be more equal now."
Alonso also attacked what he saw as institutional bias in favour of Schumacher and his Ferrari team.
"In Formula One there are commercial and political interests," he said.
"We are talking about the most successful driver in history and a little bit of help has never gone amiss. Quite often they go over the line of what is acceptable and it is inexplicable."
NOT RACING
Alonso was demoted five places to 10th on Sunday's Italian Grand Prix starting grid after stewards ruled that the Spaniard had impeded Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa.
The Renault driver, who was adamant he had not blocked Massa, failed to finish the race because of an engine failure and his championship lead over Schumacher was slashed from 12 points to two after the German won the race.
"No one is going to believe the penalty I was given for a long time to come," Alonso said.
"The excuse they gave was far from honest... It isn't good for our sport.
"Sometimes you think about not racing, but you get over that quickly enough and put on you helmet. I was 100 percent convinced that no matter where I started I could earn some points and stay ahead.
"One thing I am clear about, though, is that he who laughs last, laughs longest.
"Anyone can win the remaining races and if we get things right in two of the three races that are left the world championship will be ours."
Alonso and Schumacher will renew their rivalry on the track at the Chinese Grand Prix on Oct. 1.
JUST EIGHT WEEKS TO SUMMER CYCLING FITNESS
With a string of popular cycling races scheduled countrywide for late October, November and December, Bicycling magazine has produced its most practical Summer Training Guide yet. In the October issue of Bicycling on newsstands from September 13 (R26.95), Dr Carol Austin, a Johannesburg-based leading international cycling coach, has created a comprehensive eight-week training plan customised to suit the majority of South African cyclists.
The practical training schedule will help cyclists break the five, four or three-hour barrier, depending on their level of base fitness, in forthcoming major races such as The Pick ‘n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge (Gauteng), the Pick ‘n Pay OFM Classic (Free State), Pick ‘n Pay Amashovashova (KwaZulu-Natal) and the year-ending Argus Sanlam Cycle Tour (Western Cape).
While aimed to coincide with South Africa’s end-of-the-year cycling events, Bicycling’s Summer Training Guide is timeless and can be applied to 2007 events and beyond.
Sean Badenhorst, Editor of Bicycling remarks “South African cyclists are generally very motivated and driven and are always trying to better their time or the time of their ‘rivals’ at the popular summer events. Bicycling’s eight-week plan will ensure that readers, who according to our research cycle 7-12 hours per week in training, reach their potential in the most efficient way.”
Get your Summer Training Guide on sale from September 13 and break that barrier!
For more information on Bicycling please visit www.bicycling.co.za
Monday, September 11, 2006
NETBALL TEAM PUMPED UP FOR COSANA GAMES
The SPAR national netball team set off today (Monday) for Blantyre in Malawi for the annual Cosana Games.
The team has been attending a training camp at Rolaka Ranch – a netball training facility near Brits in North West Province. The camp has given their new coach, Burta de Kock, an opportunity to spend some time with the team and to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The team has been under considerable pressure this year – they under- performed at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, even losing to Malawi, ranked well below South Africa internationally. On a recent tour of Fiji, South Africa managed just one win out of three, and then went on to lose very heavily to world champions New Zealand.
De Kock believes the spirit in the team is very good, and that they have regained their passion for netball. “There is a tremendous feeling of unity in the squad, and they have been working very hard,” she said. “We decided to go back to basics, and do a lot of drills. They seem to be very aware of what they need to do to get back to their old winning ways. They all seem to be enjoying themselves, and have developed a tremendous trust in one another.”
She said they had not yet talked about the match against Malawi, but would scrutinize the video of their match at the Commonwealth Games to see where they had gone wrong.
“But Malawi is not the only team at the Cosana Games,” said De Kock. “There are other teams that we have to look out for, and we are not taking anything for granted. We will need to focus on our own game plans. But we are determined to come back with the gold medal. Nothing else will be acceptable.”
The Cosana Games will be played at the Malawi Youth Centre in Blantyre from Wednesday September 13, with the final being played on Saturday September 16. The teams taking part are Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The team has been attending a training camp at Rolaka Ranch – a netball training facility near Brits in North West Province. The camp has given their new coach, Burta de Kock, an opportunity to spend some time with the team and to determine their strengths and weaknesses. The team has been under considerable pressure this year – they under- performed at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, even losing to Malawi, ranked well below South Africa internationally. On a recent tour of Fiji, South Africa managed just one win out of three, and then went on to lose very heavily to world champions New Zealand.
De Kock believes the spirit in the team is very good, and that they have regained their passion for netball. “There is a tremendous feeling of unity in the squad, and they have been working very hard,” she said. “We decided to go back to basics, and do a lot of drills. They seem to be very aware of what they need to do to get back to their old winning ways. They all seem to be enjoying themselves, and have developed a tremendous trust in one another.”
She said they had not yet talked about the match against Malawi, but would scrutinize the video of their match at the Commonwealth Games to see where they had gone wrong.
“But Malawi is not the only team at the Cosana Games,” said De Kock. “There are other teams that we have to look out for, and we are not taking anything for granted. We will need to focus on our own game plans. But we are determined to come back with the gold medal. Nothing else will be acceptable.”
The Cosana Games will be played at the Malawi Youth Centre in Blantyre from Wednesday September 13, with the final being played on Saturday September 16. The teams taking part are Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Zulu commentary for SS Soccer Matches
As SuperSport’s viewership of local soccer increases, a decision has been taken to add value to the live broadcasts of Castle Premiership matches by adding Zulu commentary.
SuperSport have, since last season, had regular, exclusive live broadcasts of midweek Castle Premiership matches and viewership figures have shown a steady growth, particularly among township subscribers.
As usual, those broadcasts will continue this season, with an added bonus for Zulu-speaking viewers.
Popular SuperSport presenter Phumlani Msibi, who is one of the hosts of the popular Super Saturday show and a regular face on boxing and soccer broadcasts, will be joined by former professional player and coach, Professor Ngubane, in delivering Zulu commentary on SuperSport’s future live Wednesday matches.
Ngubane has plenty of experience in local soccer circles, having played for Durban Bush Bucks and AmaZulu before having coaching stints at Umtata Bush Bucks, AmaZulu, Lamontville Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United.
In order to access Zulu commentary, viewers simply need to use their remote control to switch from audio 1 (English) to audio 2.
SuperSport have, since last season, had regular, exclusive live broadcasts of midweek Castle Premiership matches and viewership figures have shown a steady growth, particularly among township subscribers.
As usual, those broadcasts will continue this season, with an added bonus for Zulu-speaking viewers.
Popular SuperSport presenter Phumlani Msibi, who is one of the hosts of the popular Super Saturday show and a regular face on boxing and soccer broadcasts, will be joined by former professional player and coach, Professor Ngubane, in delivering Zulu commentary on SuperSport’s future live Wednesday matches.
Ngubane has plenty of experience in local soccer circles, having played for Durban Bush Bucks and AmaZulu before having coaching stints at Umtata Bush Bucks, AmaZulu, Lamontville Golden Arrows and Maritzburg United.
In order to access Zulu commentary, viewers simply need to use their remote control to switch from audio 1 (English) to audio 2.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
HISTORY AND SENTIMENT AT STAKE AS BOKS TAKE ON WALLABIES
The Tri-Nations has been won but sentiment and pride will be at stake when the Springboks take on Australia in their Tri-Nations encounter at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Springboks will want to continue their impressive home winning record against the Wallabies who last won a game in South Africa in the winter of 2001 and last won in Johannesburg in 1963.
Coming off a hard earned 21-20 victory over the All Blacks last Saturday, the confident mood in the Springbok camp could be the determining factor as the home side are determined to continue their upward curve.
Furthermore the Springboks will want to introduce debutant fullback JP Pietersen to international rugby with a victory while Bok coach Jake White has gambled with starting centre Wynand Olivier on the wing.
The Australians have publicly stated that they will be targeting Olivier, whom they believe is the weakest link in the Bok line-up, while flyhalf Andre Pretorius will also come in for some special attention after his Herculean performance on Saturday.
Key to the Boks winning on Saturday will be the forwards which White has masterfully not tampered with after they outwitted and outplayed the All Blacks creating the backbone for a memorable victory last Saturday.
On the flipside the Springboks will have to do more than just arrive at Ellis Park on Saturday to gain a victory as the Wallabies have assembled a formidable team for the encounter.
Such is the Wallabies confidence of breaking their drought in South Africa that they arrived more than a week before the match to acclimatise to playing at altitude.
History may be against Australia on Saturday but the Wallabies will be buoyed by a few factors.
Twenty-two-year-old prop Benn Robinson will be the second debutant on the field while centre Stirling Mortlock and lock Nathan Sharpe will both be making their 50th appearance in a Wallaby jersey.
"We know we are in for an extremely tough match and we will need to produce a really strong eighty minutes to beat them. We will have had eight days preparing at altitude before the Test, so we won't be using altitude as an excuse for a poor performance on Saturday," said Wallaby coach John Connolly.
The Wallabies have also handed winger Cameron Shepherd his first start in a Test match with former SA under-21 captain Clyde Rathbone on the other wing hoping to have a better time on the field on which he lifted the IRB Under-21 world title with some members of the Bok team in 2002.
The Australians have failed to win an away match in this year's Tri-Nations and that is a factor that Connolly and his men will want to put an end to come Saturday.
At the end of the 80 minutes on Saturday the record books will be rewritten, whether in favour of a revived Springbok team or refreshed Wallabies team. But the outcome will have nothing to do with history or sentiment but rather who produces the better rugby within 80 minutes.
The Springboks will want to continue their impressive home winning record against the Wallabies who last won a game in South Africa in the winter of 2001 and last won in Johannesburg in 1963.
Coming off a hard earned 21-20 victory over the All Blacks last Saturday, the confident mood in the Springbok camp could be the determining factor as the home side are determined to continue their upward curve.
Furthermore the Springboks will want to introduce debutant fullback JP Pietersen to international rugby with a victory while Bok coach Jake White has gambled with starting centre Wynand Olivier on the wing.
The Australians have publicly stated that they will be targeting Olivier, whom they believe is the weakest link in the Bok line-up, while flyhalf Andre Pretorius will also come in for some special attention after his Herculean performance on Saturday.
Key to the Boks winning on Saturday will be the forwards which White has masterfully not tampered with after they outwitted and outplayed the All Blacks creating the backbone for a memorable victory last Saturday.
On the flipside the Springboks will have to do more than just arrive at Ellis Park on Saturday to gain a victory as the Wallabies have assembled a formidable team for the encounter.
Such is the Wallabies confidence of breaking their drought in South Africa that they arrived more than a week before the match to acclimatise to playing at altitude.
History may be against Australia on Saturday but the Wallabies will be buoyed by a few factors.
Twenty-two-year-old prop Benn Robinson will be the second debutant on the field while centre Stirling Mortlock and lock Nathan Sharpe will both be making their 50th appearance in a Wallaby jersey.
"We know we are in for an extremely tough match and we will need to produce a really strong eighty minutes to beat them. We will have had eight days preparing at altitude before the Test, so we won't be using altitude as an excuse for a poor performance on Saturday," said Wallaby coach John Connolly.
The Wallabies have also handed winger Cameron Shepherd his first start in a Test match with former SA under-21 captain Clyde Rathbone on the other wing hoping to have a better time on the field on which he lifted the IRB Under-21 world title with some members of the Bok team in 2002.
The Australians have failed to win an away match in this year's Tri-Nations and that is a factor that Connolly and his men will want to put an end to come Saturday.
At the end of the 80 minutes on Saturday the record books will be rewritten, whether in favour of a revived Springbok team or refreshed Wallabies team. But the outcome will have nothing to do with history or sentiment but rather who produces the better rugby within 80 minutes.
LIMIT FOREIGN SOCCER PLAYERS: COSATU
The Congress of SA Trade Unions on Thursday backed Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's call to reduce the number of foreign players in the Premier Soccer League.
Parreira, who was recently appointed to guide Bafana Bafana to the World Cup in 2010, called for the number of foreign players at clubs to be reduced to three per club.
Parreira's call was similar to the one made by the SA Football Players Union (SAFPU).
"We fully support SAFPU's demand that the current quotas for foreign players must be drastically reduced so that the clubs are forced to ... develop and nurture local talent," Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said in a statement on Thursday.
He said the Cosatu Central Executive Committee (CEC) further called on the SA Football Association to convene a soccer indaba in the next three to four months.
Cosatu's call came just after top club owners Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono had called on Safa to convene the indaba.
On Thursday, Craven said: "The decline in our standards has been going on for a long time.
"There is a real danger that we may only be hosts and spectators in the 2010 World Cup instead of competing against the giants of the world who will assemble on our shores.
"Action is needed now. We demand that Safa publish a development plan to address the weaknesses and stop the decline in quality," Craven said.
He said to achieve this, Cosatu called on Safa to urgently set up a technical committee on aspects of soccer, including administration.
"The technical committees must be constituted by representatives of current and previous players, coaches and technical teams and administrators of all the soccer fraternity.
"These teams must report to a real soccer indaba convened in the next three to four months," Craven said.
"If no serious development plan is forthcoming, Cosatu will mobilise its members and the entire working class to attend all meetings of Safa," he said.
Parreira, who was recently appointed to guide Bafana Bafana to the World Cup in 2010, called for the number of foreign players at clubs to be reduced to three per club.
Parreira's call was similar to the one made by the SA Football Players Union (SAFPU).
"We fully support SAFPU's demand that the current quotas for foreign players must be drastically reduced so that the clubs are forced to ... develop and nurture local talent," Cosatu spokesman Patrick Craven said in a statement on Thursday.
He said the Cosatu Central Executive Committee (CEC) further called on the SA Football Association to convene a soccer indaba in the next three to four months.
Cosatu's call came just after top club owners Kaizer Motaung and Jomo Sono had called on Safa to convene the indaba.
On Thursday, Craven said: "The decline in our standards has been going on for a long time.
"There is a real danger that we may only be hosts and spectators in the 2010 World Cup instead of competing against the giants of the world who will assemble on our shores.
"Action is needed now. We demand that Safa publish a development plan to address the weaknesses and stop the decline in quality," Craven said.
He said to achieve this, Cosatu called on Safa to urgently set up a technical committee on aspects of soccer, including administration.
"The technical committees must be constituted by representatives of current and previous players, coaches and technical teams and administrators of all the soccer fraternity.
"These teams must report to a real soccer indaba convened in the next three to four months," Craven said.
"If no serious development plan is forthcoming, Cosatu will mobilise its members and the entire working class to attend all meetings of Safa," he said.
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