(Update below) 
Seattle area cycling fans gave a warm welcome Thursday to Floyd Landis at perhaps his best appearance so far on a cross-country book tour to promote “Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France.”
“You guys in Seattle got 'em all beat. Even better than Lancaster, Pennsylvania,” Landis told me as he neared the end of a 1-1/2 hour session signing books (and shirts, and posters, and a bike).
Maybe he was just playing to the locals, but he did fill a room adjacent to Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park with some 500 cycling fans, many fresh off their bikes, who gave him a standing ovation when he entered.
“People in this town must really like books,” he joked looking over the audience when the applause finally died down, “or bikes.”
They probably just like Landis, who seemed relaxed and who kept it light during a 40-minute Q&A. Some of the questions:
Who do you favor in the Tour de France?
“I'd like to see David Zabriskie win, but I don't think this is his year,” he said, which got a laugh. Zabriskie is riding in support of the Team CSC leaders this year, and is 178th out of 184 riders.
Hardest part of the Tour de France?
“The last stage. It can get kind of annoying. … Nothing's going to change the outcome.” He talked about just riding around in circles in Paris. “Sorry I didn't make it sound so glorious.”
What does he like in frames and components.
“Steel is real.” Then, hestitating, “Campy or Shimano? … I like Shimano. … But I won the Tour on Campy.”
He repeated the story of last year's Stage 17, when he attacked the peloton and rode clear to make up most of the time he'd lost on the previous day. Although he called it a 3-hour time trial, he played down his role. Landis said the huge margins he made up were due to a “serious miscalculation” on the part of the peloton, which didn't launch a counter-attack until it was too late.
Goaded by the questions, he continued his attack on the French laboratory and their methods that came up with the high testosterone-epitestosterone ratio in his Stage 17 sample. He also told his side of the Greg LeMond issue.
And, no, he doesn't know when the three-judge aribration panel will return a decision in the doping case against him, but he's expecting it soon.
After the Q&A, Landis began autographing books. He also shook hands and exchanged best wishes with everyone who stopped by the table, extending the signature session for more than 1-1/2 hours.
The Seattle stop was the first of 7 book signings over the next 9 days on the West Coast. He next goes to Sacramento, then San Francisco, Thousands Oaks, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Riverside. See the schedule at Floyd Landis books.
Trust but Verify, which covers all things Landis, reported Thursday: At Amazon, Positively False is currently No. 523rd overall, No. 9 in sports, No. 46 in biography. At Barnes and Noble, it's currently the No. 823 book.
Update…. Who did Landis go on a bike ride with earlier Thursday? ESPN.com's Jim Caple writes about “Pounding the Pedals with Floyd Landis,” a 90-minute ride with Landis around Magnolia, UW and downtown.
Bob at Bob's Web Log also found himself riding along with someone who looked like Landis, but he didn't know Landis was going to be in town.
Knox at the Bike Nerd blog also saw Landis speak Thursday night and writes a good, thoughtful piece about the issues in the case. Also gives Biking Bis a nice shout out, which is always appreciated.
The Garbes Variations also showed up, bought a book, and had it signed.
And several correspondents filed comments about the Seattle book-signing at Trust but Verify.
Recent Comments