Paris – American cyclist Floyd Landis won the Tour de France on Sunday in one of the most tumultuous races in recent years, recovering from a devastating mountain ride the previous week to stand atop the podium on the Champs-Elysees.
Landis, 30, who rejected his Pennsylvania Mennonite upbringing as a teenager to start a bicycle racing career, became the third American to win the world’s premier bicycle race and maintained U.S. dominance of the event for the eighth straight year.
“I kept fighting, never stopped believing,” Landis told the crowd at the victory ceremony with the Arc de Triomphe a dramatic backdrop.
His heroic struggle to pedal his way back into the lead after dropping to 11th place on steep alpine slopes won him admiration and cheers on the Champs-Elysees – even among European fans who said they hoped American Lance Armstrong’s retirement last year after seven wins would give another country a chance to claim the winner’s yellow jersey.
Landis beat Spaniard Oscar Pereiro by 57 seconds to win the 2,272-mile journey across two mountains ranges in 89 hours, 39 minutes and 30 seconds. Landis and Pereiro traded the leader’s position repeatedly during the race. German racer Andreas Kloden finished third, 1:29 behind Landis. Landis placed 69th in Sunday’s final 96-mile stage, eight seconds behind the winner, Norwegian cyclist Thor Hushovd.
Landis’ valiant reversal of fortunes provided the human and athletic drama the Tour needed to overcome lagging television and Internet viewership. It was the first Tour of the post-Armstrong era, amid a drug scandal that forced several top contenders out of the race the day before it started.
Landis’ victory seemed all the more hard-earned to fans who lined France’s country lanes and city roads because of hip replacement surgery he is scheduled to have in August. The surgery will repair damage he suffered in a 2003 training accident.
“I’ve heard it said that I had a great comeback, but I’ll let other people be the judge of that,” Landis said. “More than anything I’ve learned to fight for what you want at this race.
“Like most things in life, most people don’t go for three weeks without having one bad day, but you shouldn’t give up. You get up the next day and do the best you can.”
But it was the red-haired racer’s unassuming public persona as much as his tough spirit that captivated many fans and viewers.
“He seems to be on another planet, far from the American-style celebrity,” said Gerard Holtz, a sports commentator for France Television. “He can control his emotions, he is very calm. He’s a true champion.”
“I’ve imagined winning this race quite a few times,” Landis said. “I was fortunate enough to be here a few times with Lance and see how he did it, and that helps.”
When Landis left Armstrong’s team and joined Swiss Phonak in hopes of becoming a team leader, rather than one of Amstrong’s many team assistants, Armstrong was furious.
After Landis’ victory Sunday, Armstrong, who watched the race on television as the bikers rode past his luxury hotel at Paris’s Place de la Concord, said, “I’m proud and happy for Floyd.”
Early in Sunday’s final stage, the Phonak team car pulled alongside Landis and handed him a glass of champagne.
The snaking 96-mile route from the French town of Sceaux-Antony to Paris often seemed like more of a romp for Landis than a race. Other riders repeatedly pulled alongside him and offered him congratulatory handshakes – miles before the finish line.
