Armstrong fires back at Landis


Associated Press

Floyd Landis ignored desperate pleas from his sponsor to avoid a public fight with Lance Armstrong, according to e-mails the seven-time Tour de France champion released in trying to prove the disgraced cyclist has “zero credibility.”

Armstrong released the messages Friday in a second day of attacks on Landis, who accused cycling’s biggest star of doping, teaching other riders to cheat and paying off a top cycling official after allegedly testing positive in 2002.

Armstrong has denied those allegations.

“Even a superficial review reveals a troubling, angry and misplaced effort at retribution by Landis for his perceived slights,” said a statement posted on Armstrong’s RadioShack team website. “While these types of repeated, tired and baseless accusations against Lance have been proven false in the past, it is quite regrettable, but telling, that so many in cycling are now attacked.”

Landis did not respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press. His longtime sponsor, Dr. Brent Kay, also did not return a request for comment.

Perhaps the most telling exchange was a long e-mail from Kay, a cycling enthusiast and one of Landis’ most ardent supporters, financially and otherwise. Kay has steadfastly said he believes Landis wasn’t guilty of doping when he won cycling’s most famous race in 2006.

Kay, while reaffirming to Landis that he would support him no matter what, asked him to call a truce with Armstrong and suggested he ride on the star’s team.

“If either side does not like this idea just throw this in the trash and be done with it, have the press conference and get it over with. But, once again, I’m asking you to do this for me and my family so we can move on with our lives and leave all the anger, hatred and bitterness behind,” Kay wrote in an April 28 e-mail to Landis that he forwarded to Armstrong on May 3.

Less than a month later, Landis went public with his e-mails, not only targeting Armstrong but Tour of California officials, too, for not inviting his team to participate in the race.

“I certainly understand that my revealing that Lance Armstrong has relied on blood doping, EPO, and anabolics to win the three Tours de France in which I helped him will jeopardize your substantial investment in facilitating his appearance so from a business point of view I understand fully,” Landis wrote to Andrew Messick, the race director.