PARIS _ Riding with Lance Armstrong taught Floyd Landis some key
principles he used to win the Tour de France: Forget pain, overcome mishap,
crush self doubt, and focus only on your victory.
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| Landis now
proudly owns a yellow jersey similar to the ones Armstrong won the
previous seven years. |
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"I'm glad
that a guy who came through our program has won," Armstrong said. "We can take a
small bit of credit for helping develop Floyd."
Landis now proudly owns a yellow jersey similar to the ones Armstrong won the
previous seven years.
Landis sealed the most unpredictable race in years on Sunday. Earlier in the
week, he seemingly threw away victory, and then regained it within 24 hours with
one of the best rides in the race's 103-year history.
"I kept fighting, never stopped believing," Landis said, shortly after he
received the yellow jersey on the podium.
Armstrong says the U.S. Postal team, now called Discovery Channel, gambled on
Landis when he joined from the Mercury team in 2001.
"He had a mountain of debt because they (Mercury) didn't pay him," Armstrong
told The Associated Press in an interview from his room at the Crillon hotel in
Paris. "We're the one who gave him the opportunity. For us, there's a bit of a
moral victory there because you gave a guy a chance to ride for you, to learn
from you."
Landis admits he learned well from his time spent at Postal, where he rode
under race director Johan Bruyneel.
"It was an experience, spending 100 percent of time and energy believing it
is possible to win," Landis said during a press conference on Saturday.
Holding his cap in his hand as the "The Star-Spangled Banner" played on the
winners podium, Landis only allowed himself a smile once the anthem was over.
He plans soon to have replacement surgery on an arthritic right hip, but
hopes to be back next year _ when Armstrong also hopes he'll be racing for
Discovery.
"He's a damn good rider," Armstrong said. "We would take Floyd back."
