Thanks, Giving and the Gift of Forgiveness for Floyd

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Soon enough tryptophan will be on the brain and circulating through our prone bodies after we have devoured our Thanksgiving turkey dinners.

Some of us lucky ones will soon be outside our houses hanging brightly-colored strings of lights (while showing our neighbors that we made a good career choice by not running away to join the circus to work the high wire or trapeze). Yes, the end of the year is near - ‘tis the season as they say.

The greatest gift we could give to ourselves and to our fellow human beings moving forward into 2009 is the gift of patience, tolerance and forgiveness.

I stress the forgiveness part the most this month, because I want to talk about an acquaintance of mine and I feel it's necessary to express my thanks to those people who were and are in my life for a reason; those who gave me a chance, and sometimes a second chance. Knowing that these people believed in me helped me believe in myself.

So what is my point about forgiveness, you ask?

I recently chatted with Thierry Attias, President of the Health Net Cycling team; this is what he had to say.

"I have been given many chances in my life, my family and I believe in the philosophy that you can't keep it if you don't give it away. In keeping with that trend of thought, for 2009 we have signed Floyd Landis to ride for our team.

"We believe that having Floyd on our team will be a good thing, it will help display the lengths we are going to keep all parties involved happy - from the cycling public to the sponsors, to the governing bodies for the sport.

"This February the pageantry that is the Tour of California rolls down The Golden State and there will be over 120 of the best pro men's cyclist in the world in that peloton. One of those men will be Floyd Landis; he is one of the greatest cyclists in America. We want to help him out, give him a second chance, we know he is a great guy and 2009 will be his palette to paint. No matter what happened over in France, it is the past and we must move on." 

Thanks for your thoughts Thierry, and good luck next year!

I am not writing this to approve, apologize or analyze the unfortunate details - I am here to say let's get past this era and move on. If you remember, not too long ago the ‘Ball and Stick' sports had suffered their own black eyes on this topic on Capital Hill and in the press, and they seem to have risen from the ashes all right. 

As the competitors and open-minded, free-thinking Nor Cal athletic types that we are, I ask you to keep an open mind when you see the great Floyd Landis roll by during the Tour of California this next February. If you give him the chance Floyd will win you over, he is a great guy.

If you see me at an event this year ask me a few Floyd stories and get ready to laugh.

See you at the races! I will be announcing San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island, Run Wild in Golden Gate Park and the California International Marathon - please feel free to come by and say hello. 

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