In school, we were taught that Christopher Columbus "discovered" "America" on 12 October 1492.
During my elementary school years, we got the day off on 12 October. Then, around the time I was beginning adolescence, "Columbus Day" was moved to the second Monday of October. So it is observed today.
As the story goes, he set sail for India. Instead, he landed somewhere between Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo. Thus, he didn't even make it to what we call America (i.e., the continent) today.
What I have never understood, though, is why we have a holiday for a guy who got lost.
And, as an Italian American, I don't know why he's a source of pride for us. I mean, we have Michelangelo, Galileo, Leonardo, Raphael, Dante, Bocaccio, Cassini (OK, he turned French), Marconi and all sorts of other folks who distinguished themselves in every imaginable field. Heck, we even have great fashion designers. I'd rather have a day for Armani or even Versace--or, of course, any number of Italian cyclists.
All right, I'll shut up and go for a ride--and enjoy my lasagna afterward!
Yesterday, I wrote about Floyd Landis' attempt to redeem himself. He sees it as an attempt to redeem cycling.
I have no idea of what his political affiliations might be--or, indeed, whether he has any. Whatever they are, or aren't, I can see him wearing this T-shirt:
Then again, I've always thought cycling is great--even if dopers and makers of useless gadgets muck it up sometimes.
When I was writing for a local newspaper, I talked to police officers as well as their commanders. One of the brass I saw regularly was, as it turned out, very well-read. He told me his favorite novel was Les Miserables.
"It poses a question that we, in law enforcement, always deal with." That question, he said, is this: "Is redemption possible?"
Was Jean Valjean the thief and escaped convict Inspector Javert pursues from one end of France to another? Or was he the industrious benefactor and kindly benefactor of Montreuil-sur-Mer who had to be coaxed into accepting its mayoralty but still declined the king's offer to make him a chevalier in the Legion d'honneur?
There's a parallel, I think, in Floyd Landis' story. He was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory after failing drug tests. Later, he was involved in a federal whistle-blower lawsuit against Lance Armstrong. It was settled this past spring, and he is scheduled to receive about $1 million.
So, is he going to ride off into the sunset? Or is he going to fund his business? (More about that later.)
No, he plans to fund his Floyd's of Leadville Pro Cycling Team with one of his former teammates, Gord Fraser. He is seeking a UCI Pro Continental license for the team, which will be based in Canada.
His motivation, he explains, is that he likes the sport. Referring to what he and his fellow riders did, he explains that it is "part of the reason" the bicycle racing "is at a low point now." Though he "can't fix what happened in the past", he says, he wants "to help."
"I understand I hurt the cycling community," he admits.
He believes that starting a team is the thing to do because "teams are going away." He was referring, no doubt, to the recent dissolution of two longtime US teams, Jelly Belly-Maxxis and UnitedHealthcare.
Floyd's of Leadville is, as you've probably guessed, his business, based in the Colorado town where he lives. It offers soft gels, tinctures and creams for pain relief. The common ingredient in all of them is...cannabis.
As you probably know by now, Colorado was one of the first US states to legalize marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes. But, in most other states--and in the eyes of the Federal government-- it's still not legal for medical or recreational purposes.
The irony of being a pot purveyor (well, all right, it's not quite as simple as that) doesn't seem to be lost on Landis. His website points out that his business was borne of a "crossroads" when he realized he could no longer depend on opiods to relieve his pain.
So...Is Floyd the guy who tried to claim that the unusually high levels of testosterone found in his blood were "natural"? Or the guy who helped to bring down a team and a generation of riders? Or the man who, apparently, is trying to rebuild a sport--to be a benefactor, if you will?
And should we see him as someone who used some substances to gain an unfair advantage--or one who will use others to help young riders win, and more important, ride, in ways he never did?
