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Just Another Jim

Just Another Essay



Bradley, Mikey, and King Floyd

Essay Posted July 25, 2006 by James E. Nelson

Floyd Landis not only won the Tour de France, he did it with such panache that his efforts will be remembered for years to come.

Landis is an unlikely bicyle road racing hero. He got his start as a long-haired counter-cultural societal drop-out type in American dirt bicycle downhill racing. It’s the sort of sport that is associated with Junior High under-achievers riding banana bikes. But somehow he made the transition from dirt-biker to the more respectable road racing circuit and joined Lance Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service team. He helped Armstrong achieve a couple of his Tour de France victories before moving on and becoming the team leader for the Phonak team.

A few years ago he had a terrible crash and broke his hip bone at the socket, leaving the ball in the socket when his leg went a different direction. Now his one leg won’t grow correctly and is a bit shorter than the other. The result is that Landis is always in pain when he rides a bicycle. It’s especially bad when he tries to climb the mountains.

It was therefore no real surprise when he burned out on a mountain climb and lost over eight minutes on stage 16. Then there was the miracle of stage 17, when he came roaring back and made up all of his lost time. By the end of the day, everyone was shaking their head in disbelief and he was only 30 seconds off the leader—a time gap he easily made up a couple days later in a time trial. In the end, “King Floyd” Landis was standing atop the podium in the yellow jersey having proved his total dominance over his rivals.

This is a great (and unfortunate) contrast to England’s Bradley Wiggins. Wiggins thought this would be his year. He practically guaranteed that he would win the opening time trial in Strasbourg (he came in eighth) and do very well in the Tour overall (he finished in the lower half). As a result he said he might not race again. He sees no point in racing if there’s no chance of winning, and this year’s Tour, which was supposed to be his breakout ride, indicates that he’s an average competitor at best.

Some folks are calling Wiggins a quitter and a wash-out. First, I will point out that he said this within 24 hours of the finish line. With some time between him and the disappointment of the 2006 Tour de France, he might change his mind. But if he doesn’t, I’ll maintain my respect for a decision like that. Wiggins has discovered his abilities and limitations. He’s probably not a world class rider. He gave it his best shot and it didn’t work out. Now he’ll get on with the rest of his life.

Along with bicycling, I’ve been watching baseball this month.

A good friend of ours, Mikey, plays baseball in the Sioux City Challenger League. Last night was the last game of the season. The Challenger League is for developmentally disabled kids. Every player has a “buddy” to help them out. They need their buddies. Mikey’s dad told us that when he started his buddy would sometimes have to carry him to first base because he couldn’t figure out why he was supposed to go there after he hit the ball. Instead he would turn around and wave at the crowd that had suddenly started cheering. He’s been at this for a couple years, and although he still tends to stare at the crowd, he now knows to run to first base when he hits the ball; and he knows to keep on going around the horn and back to home when the next person hits the ball. He knows to put on his batting helmet before he bats. He doesn’t know much about hitting the ball, but he’s learning. In a few years I suspect he’ll be a great hitter.

Since it was the last game, they gave out awards. Every team, every player, every coach, and every umpire got an award. That’s just how things work in the Challenger League. In most areas of life all we can do is give it our best and our best is good enough. Mikey and Mel’s (that’s his team) and the other participants all deserved their awards because they did the best they could.

The old saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game,” may be appropriate for amateur sports and pickup games. (In fact, nobody wins or loses in the Challenger League—every player manages to get around the bases every inning.) But when you dedicate your life to a sport, when you commit to become a professional, it suddenly does matter whether you win or lose. Sports is both a popular and an elitist venture. At one level people enjoy playing a sport. At the professional level people enjoy watching athletes win. Occasionally it’s fun to watch amateurs play. In turn, I’m sure professionals enjoy playing, or they wouldn’t be doing what they do. But in spite of the overlap, there is a fundamental difference between the two.

Remember the 1987 football strike? The owners hired amateurs to play the game while the pros were out on strike. One lesson learned from that debacle is that people aren’t interested in watching merely average people play their favorite sport. On the other hand, they’ll pay a lot of money to watch someone “bend it like Beckham” (and that’s about all I know about soccer), or smash the boards like Shaq, or throw the ball in the last two minutes of the game like John Elway.

And unfortunately, that’s Bradley Wiggins’ problem. The Tour de France is no Challenger League, and he’s no King Floyd. That pretty much leaves him out in the cold. But better to admit to your weaknesses and move on than to cheat through doping or shooting up with EPO. Better to face reality than try to skirt around the rules. In my book, Wiggins is no quitter. In my book no one who finishes all 21 days of the Tour de France is a quitter. In my book, Wiggins is a better man for admitting defeat and moving on.