Landis Casts Cloud Over Local Cycling

Professional cycling has been a part of Manhattan Beach for 45 years, but never have the sport and its participants been under such intense scrutiny for doping.

One week has passed since Floyd Landis, winner of the Tour de France, was stripped of his title as cycling’s greatest champion after two of his urine samples showed an unusually high ratio of testosterone. Also, two of the top riders, Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, were banned from competing just days before the Tour for a similar offense.

Still, amid so much uncertainty, organizers of the Chevron Manhattan Beach Grand Prix took time Sunday to celebrate America’s fastest sprinter and maintain that racing in the United States is cycling’s purest form.

J.J. Haedo, an Argentine from Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team, won the 90-minute criterium race, beating a large field of professional riders on the 1.4-mile course.

Haedo thanked his seven teammates after the race for helping him ride to victory, protecting him for the first 89 minutes, then allowing him to sprint to the finish.

“The team rode great,” Haedo said.

“If there was no team, there would be no me. I’m the cherry on the cake. The team did 99% of the work.”

It was a positive moment for a sport that has had its share of negativity.

While most American riders claim independence from the doping allegations in Europe, they understand the current problems are dangerous for the overall image of the sport. Similarly, they fear casual fans might label all cyclists as cheats.

“It’s sad because there are people out there thinking cycling is dirty,” said Greg Henderson, who finished second to Haedo. “There might be a tiny, tiny part that is dirty. The rest of us, we’re out here having fun.”

Despite the ocean-wide gap, the doping controversy still hits home. Former co-director of Toyota-United Frankie Andreu and his wife Betsy testified this year that they heard Lance Armstrong confirm to doctors that he had used performance-enhancing drugs before his 1996 cancer diagnosis. Andreu was dismissed from Toyota-United on July 28, a move one spokeswoman described as a “human-resources decision.”

“Frankie has contributed greatly to this team’s success and helped with the team’s early development,” team owner Sean Tucker said in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to other obligations and commitments, Frankie was not able to fulfill his contractual obligations.”

The team is now directed solely by Harm Jansen, who Sunday reinforced the purity of his team, and denied doping as an American problem.

“Aren’t we somewhat remote from that?” Jansen said. “There’s one big ocean in between. I think we don’t have such drama here in the U.S.”

Cyclists such as Henderson and Toyota-United sprinter Ivan Dominguez suggested harsher penalties and swifter doping investigations would help eliminate the perception of widespread cheating. Dominguez said a two-year ban for doping, as Landis currently faces, is enough of a deterrent to keep the sport clean.

Dominguez still maintains Landis is innocent of the doping charges but knows the negative publicity is bad for the sport.

“It affects cycling,” Dominguez said. “Being almost a month after the race, we’re still talking about it. [The recovery] is going to be long. It won’t take two weeks to fix the problem.”

Most riders agreed it won’t be easy for casual fans to regain trust in the sport.

After Sunday’s Grand Prix, Henderson pointed to a group of 3-year-olds on bicycles competing in the community races, a post-race event that allows children to ride on the same stretch of pavement as the professional cyclists.

They, Henderson said, are the next generation, and instrumental in the fight against doping.

Seconds later, just as the race leader -- a little girl on a pink bicycle -- rode toward the finish line, her bike locked up.

A parent, acting on instinct, picked up the bicycle and scooted the girl across the finish line, suggesting that even at the most basic level, the fight is ongoing.