After a strong performance in last year's Vuelta, Phonak's Floyd Landis is back in Spain for another crack at the maillot oro. With another Tour de France under his belt, and a powerhouse team behind him, Landis talks to Cyclingnews' Shane Stokes about his chances of 'wearing gold' in 2005.
2005 has marked a turning point in the career of Floyd Landis. The 29 year old rider went from being a trusted lieutenant of Lance Armstrong at US Postal to one of the team leaders at Phonak, deciding after years of riding in the service of the Tour champion that it was time for him to strike out on his own and starting winning races for himself.
Last year's Tour was undoubtedly a catalyst in that decision. Landis rode well throughout the race, performing strongly in the mountains, going close to taking a stage win and generally showing that he had what it takes to be a very solid Grand Tour rider. Winning the stage 3 time trial in the Tour of Georgia this spring underlined that point, and even though a strong Discovery Channel team wrested the race leader's jersey from his shoulders before the end, he had given a strong indication that a new mentality - and freedom - was paying off.
Following his return to Europe, good performances in the Dauphine Libéré showed that he was on track as regards his preparations for the Tour de France. And while Landis didn't set the race alight as he may have hoped, a good ninth place overall showed that he can realistically aim higher in the future. Indeed, he has a chance to take a strong Grand Tour result here on the Vuelta, with Landis' long spell in the maillot oro twelve months ago acting as perfect inspiration for an even more successful campaign this time round.
He's done things a little differently in the run up, in order to avoid the drop in form he experienced towards the end of last year's race. "I was okay for the first two weeks, but it [the Vuelta] was a bit long. I had raced hard since January. It is a long season, so... I don't know how this year will go, but there is less pressure than at the Tour. So I will just see how it works out.
"This time, I haven't done any racing [after the Tour]. Last year, I did the Tour of Holland, I believe.I think it was that race. But this year there is only five weeks between [the Tour and the Vuelta], last year there was six. With five it is no problem, it is better to go home and rest a little while."
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