Philadelphia Inquirer: Floyd Landis' bicycle journey, from the rolling hills of Lancaster County,

Philadelphia Inquirer: Floyd Landis' bicycle journey, from the rolling hills of Lancaster County, Pa., to the French Alps to the Champs-Elysees in Paris, is one of the most inspirational stories of the year in sports.
Landis, 30, won the Tour de France on Sunday, overcoming a chronic hip ailment that will require joint-replacement surgery next month. Injured in a crash three years ago, Landis suffers from the same debilitating condition -- loss of blood supply to the hip bone -- that affects at least 10,000 Americans annually.
Landis was an unsung teammate of Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour seven times. Now he has gutted it out through obscurity and injury to wear the victor's yellow jersey (and collect a $2.5 million bonus).
Raised in a conservative Mennonite family that chose not to own a TV, Landis as a teen raced in sweatpants, so as not to show his bare legs. In keeping with the tenets of their faith, his mother and sisters keep their heads covered.
Although Landis broke away at age 20 to train more seriously in California, the hard-work ethic instilled by parents Paul and Arlene obviously has served him well. He has a reputation of training harder than anyone else on the tour. And when her son rode into Paris as the champion, Mrs. Landis was watching on a TV at a friend's house.
Americans now have won the last eight Tour de France races. Nowhere is there more pride in Landis' achievement than in Farmersville, Pa., population 200, where the modest pace of life has produced the speediest of champions.