Friday, May 18, 2007

Blackmail and Bikes

Crazy story about Greg LeMond and Floyd Landis. It's long and detailed so I'll try to break it down for those of you with no attention span (Juice & Josh), but I encourage the rest of you to read more about it.

The USADA is holding hearings on Landis's doping. Greg LeMond was scheduled to testify even though he didn't really know anything firsthand.

It all started with a phone call last summer. Landis called LeMond to rip him publicly criticized Landis about doping. During that phone conversation, LeMond told Landis he had been sexually abused as a child. He said he made the disclosure to encourage Landis to come clean for his own sanity and to save the sport. He Landis basically admitted doping in their phone call.

Now fast forward to Wednesday night, before the hearing. LeMond gets a call from a man who said "I'm your uncle, and I'll be there tomorrow." He also made several references to pedophilia. LeMond paid to trace the call and found it came from Will Geoghegan (pronounced GAY-gun), Landis's business manager.

After LeMond testified about the call, Geoghegan apologized to him. After the hearing Landis fired Geoghegan.

Ironically, prior to this no one would have taken LeMond too seriously because he didn't have any firsthand knowledge. Now this call, if it doesn't prove, it definitely suggests that Landis did have something to hide.

Geoghegan (right) apologizing to LeMond (back turned)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Landis is guilty as sin. Only someone who never raced bikes would say their poster boy is innocent. Drugs became the norm in cycling during the 1990's. None of us really know who is great in cycling because it has been so contaminated with performance enhancing drugs. I don't feel sorry for Landis I feel sorry for all those althetes who have dedicated their lives to a sport only to finish somewhere in the pack because losers like Landis will sell their soul to win.