Floyd Landis, Ivan Basso returning to cycling

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When Lance Armstrong rides at the Amgen Tour of California Feb. 14-22 he will likely re-engage with a couple of past competitors who are coming off long breaks.

While Armstrong’s three and a half years away from the racing peloton were his own choice (retirement), Floyd Landis and Ivan Basso have been away because of doping-related suspensions and suspicions. Landis and Basso are both listed as possible competitors on team rosters submitted to the Tour of California.

Landis won the 2006 Tour de France, the year after Armstrong’s stranglehold of seven straight wins ended with his famous retirement. Landis’ triumph ended in disgrace when he failed a doping test that followed his dramatic mountain stage victory that had put him in the lead. Landis fought the failed drug test, arguing that testing methods were flawed.

Basso, an Italian whom Armstrong once called his heir-apparent, was implicated in a Spanish doping investigation and, after being signed by the former U.S.-based Discovery Channel team, ended up never racing for the now-defunct Discovery team. Basso denied doping but admitted to considering doping in explaining why his name turned up in the Spanish scandal.

Johan Bruyneel, who is in charge of Armstrong’s present team, Astana, said he expects Basso to be ‘energetic’ and in good racing form at the Tour of California, where Basso will race for Italian-based Liquigas. ‘He’s not like Lance. During his time off he trained as if he was still a professional and you didn’t see him in all the magazines, you know, out,’ Bruyneel said, referring to Armstrong’s retirement time of dating famous women and hanging out in Hollywood.

Bruyneel also said he has heard Landis, who has been training in Southern California, may be better than expected. ‘The grapevine says Floyd is in very good form,’ Bruyneel said. ‘No one is talking much about Floyd but he has served his suspension and I think it is good he is coming back.’

Landis will be riding for a new team, OUCH Pro Cycling, a domestic team formed by Landis’ doctor Brett Kay.

-- Diane Pucin