Committee tells conference organiser to drop drug cheat Floyd Landis

[Spare Tyre]

<snipped>

The Worlds organizers are way out of line here. Telling a University who is allowed on their campus is flat out wrong. And if they hadn't tried to push the school around, there wouldn't be a whole lot of publicity around it. They aren't bright enough to realize that the reign of terror days of pro cycling are coming to an end.

I reckon the UCI is coming down hard on the organisers.

I agree they have given the conference a whole lot of publicity it would never otherwise have received.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

letter sent.

Received confirmation with an email address in it, if you guys want to skip making a webform submission:

"Dear Joseph M. Papp,
This email is to confirm that your Feedback about express concern has been sent successfully to dolcp@deakin.edu.au

Thank you for that link Joe. Here is what I sent them:
"If we want to clean up cycling we cannot continue to stick our heads in the sand. So, count this email as support for Deakin U. bringing in Floyd. And I’m not even a Floyd fan! In fact, I despise many things he has done (cheat to win the Tour… lie to get public contributions for his legal defense… to name two). But I am more interested in looking forward, not backward, so that doping in cycling can be cleaned up AND so that cycling might be a world leader in cleaning up use of PEDs and steroids in all others sports as well. This IS serious business! In the USA we have had garage steroid shops busted that were producing cheap (and bad quality) steroids to high school kids!!! It will be a long fight before we can effect what filters down to the high school level. But if we give up or give into demands to ban Floyd from the conference, then we loose the first battle to effect what goes on in other sport and what filters down to our youth."

 

[Siriuscat]

This was my tuppenceworth:
I read, with some real concerns, that your ground breaking conference is now being subjected to the same Omerta that Cycling has been mired in for years because someone does not want Floyd Landis to speak. Do not allow the UCI to dictate who you allow to speak. Do not allow individuals to dictate who you allow to speak.



Your conference at the highest profile set of one day races and the Jewel in the UCI’s personal crown sets out to move the sport forward, to do so it needs to reflect the worst of the past using the highest profile individual to do so, Floyd Landis must be allowed to talk. The conference has garnered the collusion of some of the most eminent and respected scientists in their fields, Ashenden, Faber and Moller. A person like Floyd fills the psychological gap that can allow some positive and REAL outcomes from this conference.



It is public knowledge that the UCI have tried to stop Landis talking, it is well known the efforts that Mr McQuaid and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen have made in stopping Floyd Landis airing his accusations about Lance Armstrong and their individuals complicity in the Armstrong accusations, are they now behind the efforts to stop Floyd now??



If you do not want the sport to move forward then you’re only interest can be in continuing the culture of doping in cycling and the bullying culture that stops people speaking out.



For the sake of the sport please stand firm and bring Floyd Landis to the conference. The sport needs to evolve and move forward in a clean and sustainable way, this conference is a great start to this, I look forward to seeing Floyd Landis at this conference



Yours In Sport

 

[Bike Opera]

latest news is Deakin College is standing firm, and upholding academic freedom.

But feel free to still email the folks involved listed in the OP. Landis must have his forum, and uninhibited discourse prevail.

Excellent work! Sent in my two pennies as well.

 

[Cobber]

Sent!

Re: New Pathways for Professional Cycling conference

Please allow Floyd Landis to speak! He has a very unique perspective on doping in professional cycling, being one of the few pro's that are willing to speak openly about their experiences. As an academic institution, I am confident you realize that it is important to consider all evidence and opinions in the pursuit of knowledge. Ignoring people that have actually experienced and/or contributed to the problems in cycling will not result in the necessary changes.

Thank you for providing forum for me to voice my concerns.

 

[blackcat]

Deakin are upholding an academic freedom. Well done folks. Well done Hardie.

Here is Landis' latest quote.

http://www.newcyclingpathway.com/news/blog/statement-by-floyd-landis-18-september-2010

Statement by Floyd Landis 18 September 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010 // Blog
As you may know, subsequent to winning the 2006 Tour de France, I failed a drug test and was ultimately disqualified and suspended from professional competition for 2 years.

During and following that suspension, I had a fair degree of time to reflect on the decisions made by and for me related to my activities as a professional bicycle racer, including, specifically, the use of banned performance enhancing drugs. The conclusions reached and the learning taken away by me during that time* are now moving me to correct, to the extent possible, the effect of those decisions on others and on and to speak out in a manner so that today’s young and future professional and amateur athletes can learn from my choices and, hopefully, avoid the same painful consequences which I have suffered and which I continue to suffer today.

In other words, like Deakin University, I too want to be a catalyst for positive change.

Effective partnerships often present themselves in unusual forms and at unusual times. My knowledge of and participation in professional cycling’s culture of dope and my participation in a conference intended to chart a new direction for cycling may seem inconsistent and inappropriate to some, including especially those that seek to maintain the status quo or otherwise cover up the extent of the doping problem and the resulting corruption under which the sport currently labors. That said, my knowledge and participation in the culture that the conference is seeking to improve, and my work with the conference organizers in that regard, is exactly the type of partnership that can and will deliver effective, progressive, relevant analysis that can be used to begin the process of repairing the currently broken sport of cycling and its governing institutions.

My intention in participating in the conference is simple. By offering an inside perspective of an athlete confronted with decisions regarding the use of banned performance enhancing drugs, I hope to be able to contribute to a better understanding of how those decisions come to be made, and how athletes can be better supported by those in a position to facilitate better decisions and decision making, including owners, sponsors, doctors, directors, riders and fans.

I have always loved racing my bicycle. For me, racing as a professional was a dream come true and it represented the culmination of years of very hard, very painful, dedicated work.

Having felt those dreams collapse, having experienced the result of my work publicly evaporate and having subjected the sport I love to unnecessary criticism, I now must be of service and do what I can to help others avoid a similar fate. And it was with that intention, not one of scandal and attack as has been suggested by my critics, that I accepted Mr. Hardie’s invitation to participate in the conference.

To be clear, I do not wish to use the conference as a “soapbox,” nor do I wish “hijack” the world championships. I will not and cannot discuss events or circumstances related to the ongoing investigations and lawsuits involving Lance Armstrong and certain of his current and former business associates and teammates, including what I saw and heard during the relevant time periods . Indeed, the behavior and comments of the persons and organizations that seek to shut down the conference as a consequence of my participation demonstrate that they are interested only in selfishly perpetuating their own positions and purported authority at the expense of progressive reform and in total disregard of the sport’s long-term interests, including those of the riders and fans, which they are charged to protect.

Floyd Landis

* I hope you can appreciate my effort here to footnote some of those conclusions and learning which provide important context to the discussions concerning my disclosures and their purpose, but which are not necessarily relevant to the purpose of this statement. The most important of these conclusions and learning are not cycling specific and appear to me now as common sense solutions to living at peace with oneself and the world; solutions to which I was blinded by a desire to win in a sport that all but requires its participants at the highest levels to disregard the rules in order to effectively compete.

Attempting to create and sustain a truth that does not square precisely with one’s reality will always ultimately fail. The energy and efforts expended in that attempt are wasted and can never be recovered or recycled into more productive or fruitful personal or social endeavors. The emptiness and unease that results from such a waste create a rattle within that can only be quieted by ongoing efforts to live in integrity and truth, and one cannot permit their past mistakes and indiscretions to forever commit them to travel a road on which they are no longer comfortable. I’ve traveled that troubled road and the consequent pain remains fresh with me. Integrity and truth cannot be nuanced or partial. Truth is nothing if it is not complete, and the story of my life cannot truthfully be told if facts important to it are omitted such that the story continues to mislead. My decision to disclose the regular use of banned doping products by me and by others with whom I have been associated is simply part of my process to square all the realities of my life and to make amends to those other than myself that have also suffered as a consequence of my poor choices.

Attempts by others to make that process into something other than I have described above, and to discredit my current efforts by pointing to my past mistakes (which I have acknowledged), simply represent their continuing, misplaced, misguided and fear-driven efforts to temporarily sustain a manufactured truth that does not square with reality of their life.

 

[blackcat]

last tweet update:

newcyclingpathway conference organiser on sbs tv cycling central show sunday explaining the attendance of Landis and others

I think SBS are the Australian Tour de FRance network, I do not know the show, Aus folks will no doubt understand it.

 

[Spare Tyre]

last tweet update:

I think SBS are the Australian Tour de FRance network, I do not know the show, Aus folks will no doubt understand it.

Yes, SBS broadcast the TdF and a few other events. They also have a "Cycling Central" website and in recent times a weekly 1hr magazine-style TV highlights show.

Their Cycling Central Facebook page ran a poll in which 75% of the participants voted to indicate they didn't want Landis to participate in the conference. Cycling Central is a bit LA-fanboy-ish, so perhaps that's the reason for the poll results. I'm glad conference organisers are going on the show to argue their case and (IMO) enlighten their audience.

 

[flicker]

Deakin are upholding an academic freedom. Well done folks. Well done Hardie.

Here is Landis' latest quote.

http://www.newcyclingpathway.com/news/blog/statement-by-floyd-landis-18-september-2010

I am glad is going and darn it he is eloquent enough now to run as a liberal in the British Parliment!

 

[BroDeal]

Sbs cycling central needs to be bombarded with emails supporting floyd.

Dave Mckenzie is running a hard campaign against the New Pathways conference. dmckenzie@echelon1.com

Mckenzie has been challenged to a debate.

 

[craig1985]

Am I not wrong in thinking that the majority of the cycling media still sits in Lance's corner?

 

[ellenbrook2001]

HAHAHAHAHA I told you before MR LANDIS hes not welcome in GEELONG hes going too make trouble so we AUSTRALIAN dont want that at all Mr LANDIS you guilty so shut up go back too America we dont need you here got it?

 

[theswordsman]

HAHAHAHAHA I told you before MR LANDIS hes not welcome in GEELONG hes going too make trouble so we AUSTRALIAN dont want that at all Mr LANDIS you guilty so shut up go back too America we dont need you here got it?

I'm guessing you don't attend Deakins University.

Landis will be there.

 

[flicker]

To be clear, I do not wish to use the conference as a “soapbox,” nor do I wish “hijack” the world championships. I will not and cannot discuss events or circumstances related to the ongoing investigations and lawsuits involving Lance Armstrong and certain of his current and former business associates and teammates, including what I saw and heard during the relevant time periods . Indeed, the behavior and comments of the persons and organizations that seek to shut down the conference as a consequence of my participation demonstrate that they are interested only in selfishly perpetuating their own positions and purported authority at the expense of progressive reform and in total disregard of the sport’s long-term interests, including those of the riders and fans, which they are charged to protect. from landis yesterday

this part is hog wash from LeMonds attorneys.

I would like to believe Landis but when he spews drivel like this which obviously comes from LeMonds' mouthpieces I still think of my dream, the dream that I had when I bought Floyds' literary masterpiece Positivley False.

Floyd made his own bed. He can go and sleep with the rest of the liars,attorneys and cheats. Punto

 

[MacRoadie]

Floyd made his own bed. He can go and sleep with the rest of the liars,attorneys and cheats. Punto

But isn't that the whole point of being there? Unfortunately, now the UCI wants to cancel the date...

 

[flicker]

But isn't that the whole point of being there? Unfortunately, now the UCI wants to cancel the date...

I think MCQuaid might be a little shy about being on the same continent as Floyd.

 

[cyclelicious]

I think MCQuaid might be a little shy about being on the same continent as Floyd.

Holy Smokes that was good for me

 

[blackcat]

Sbs cycling central needs to be bombarded with emails supporting floyd.

Dave Mckenzie is running a hard campaign against the New Pathways conference. dmckenzie@echelon1.com

Mckenzie has been challenged to a debate.

Matt Decanio mentioned McKenzie on his stolen underground blog. Also, fellow Linda Mac alum, Ben Brooks.

 

[blackcat]

HAHAHAHAHA I told you before MR LANDIS hes not welcome in GEELONG hes going too make trouble so we AUSTRALIAN dont want that at all Mr LANDIS you guilty so shut up go back too America we dont need you here got it?

Ellen, think you need a GED, before you get to Deakin College. Goodluck with that. You and Lance both, can get your GED. I think Floyd has his highschool diploma so he will be welcome.

 

[theswordsman]

I'm not normally a conspiracy theory kind of guy, but a few things I've seen have me wondering. I've been to the conference website, and started looking through the doping report they're presenting - I started a new thread on that.

Landis will be participating in a discussion about the Biological Passport. I skimmed through that chapter of the paper, and I'm pretty sure the conference is going to find fault with various aspects of the system.

Take a look at the names of other announced members of the Biological Passport Forum - Dr. Michael Ashenden, Klaas Faber & Paul J. Hayes. I'm sure it will be a top notch discussion, but if Landis wasn't involved, would any of their discussion and ideas ever make the light of day?

Maybe the UCI was satisfied with the guys getting together on a college campus in Australia and talking themselves hoarse, knowing they could ignore any recommendations for change just like they did the 2003 WADA Independent Observer report from the 2003 Tour de France.

The "soap box" "tirade" guy works for Jump Media. His words made it everywhere, in a lot of languages. Floyd's statement is not getting much media attention at all.

You can check out the paper yourselves and see if you think I'm right that maybe they're so afraid of Landis being included because people might actually pay attention to the BP Forum. The UCI already has the WADA IO report from the Tour hanging over their heads.

I'm also really curious as to what the UCI will be up to as on campus guests for a week.

 

[Ferminal]

I'm guessing you don't attend Deakins University.

Landis will be there.

Be nice, anyone can get into Uni over here, even the illiterate.

 

[Martin318is]

Weird that people are still writing big outrage posts in this thread. The statement was released a LONG time ago that Floyd WILL be at the conference.

Incidentally, I don't know about anybody else but I did receive a reply from the conference organiser. He said that there would be no problem having Floyd on the panel.

and he invited me to attend - (not on the panel, just in the audience). Will let you know if I decide to go

 

[hiero2]

and he invited me to attend - (not on the panel, just in the audience). Will let you know if I decide to go

It would be nice, for us, here, at CN forums, if you do. And, it would be nicer if you posted frequent and loquacious updates. Plain english = give us the whole story, nothing but the story, and EVERY word of the story.

Please.

 

[theswordsman]

But the Floyd-bashing propaganda campaign is ongoing (in an embarrassingly feeble sort of way):

Over the weekend the SBS program Cycling Central devoted its ‘Bike Shorts’ segment to the Landis issue, with presenter Mike Tomalaris interviewing “expert cycling analyst” Dave McKenzie about Landis’s attendance at the conference.

McKenzie: “I think that he is using it as a bit of a soap box, absolutely. I think he is … everything he is saying … so you know I think he is using it as an excuse to I guess name other riders, or whether or not its make up stories — I don’t know whether we can believe him now.”

Tomalaris played an interview with conference organiser Martin Hardie, who noted that the conference “was not all about Floyd Landis”. Tomalaris asked McKenzie if Landis might have some other motives for his attendance:

McKenzie: “I think it is a good excuse to him, to I guess sort of highlight, I guess what’s happened to him … in a lot of ways I feel sorry for him but don’t try and drag the sport down with him. That’s what I think the people in the sport are saying — certainly from within and I think the fans have spoken as well…”

Landis’ statement was provided to SBS and Tomalaris immediately after its release.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/09/20/floyd-landis-is-coming-to-town-…-panic-breaks-out-in-cycling/

Here's the video

http://player.sbs.com.au/cycling#/cycling_08/extras/extras/playlist/Bike-Shorts-Ep-51/

The organization is still getting heat, and whoever does their twitter account @NewCyclingPathways seems pretty frustrated.
I guess it's hard to promote their paper and other aspects of the conference when people keep attacking in the media, like going on about a soap box, and naming new riders, when they'd been sent Floyd's statement as soon as it hit.

The organizers seem to appreciate our support e-mails, because locally a lot of people are trying to tell them they're wrong.

I've said it before - I've skimmed the Doping Report and looked over possible topics for the conference. They will take a long hard look at the Biological Passport and it's flaws, and the UCI. I think everyone expected the conference to happen quietly, and that no one would ever hear a word of what was said. But Landis in a doping discussion brings attention.

Keep up the good work, in whatever manner you've chosen.

 

[Martin318is]

Do me a favour and jump onto this article's comments section (sensible well contructed comments please - ranting won't help anyone).

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/16501/Landis-slams-Worlds-organisers#comment

They need to get a bit of balance into their lives