January 23, 2007 – Rumours are circulating that Floyd Landis (formerly with Phonak), the 2006 TdF winner who tested positive for testosterone, is joining the Colorado-based Team Slipstream p/b Chipotle (formerly TIAA-CREF), according to The Boulder Report. Fueling such rumours was Landis’ presence at recent a six-hour team ride near Julian, California. Also fueling the rumours is the friendship between Landis and team general manager, Jonathan Vaughters. Slipstream riders Patrick McCarty and Will Frischkorn are former teammates of Landis while team trainer, Allen Lim, worked extensively with Landis in 2005-2006.

On the team ride, Landis was on his Phonak-issued BMC bike but was dressed “like an ordinary club racer,” wearing black shorts and a black jersey. Despite his recent hip surgery, Landis apparently rode quite well, staying in the middle on steep hill climbs. At one point, Landis quipped, “I’m just fat,” in apparent reference to his lack of training since the surgery. Vaughters said there are no plans for Landis to ride with the team again, explaining it was “just a friendly ride.”

Vaughters, a TdF veteran himself, was quick to speak in Landis’ defence in July 2006 after the positive testosterone result. A Boston Globe report quoted him as saying then: “This is the one time [cycling fans] should hold out hope. This is the rare exception. He’ll arbitrate this and (Landis) will win, I guarantee you, but that will take a year, and in the interim we have a Tour de France champion who’s completely black.”

Canada’s 2005 road champ, Francois Parisien, currently rides with Team Slipstream p/b Chipotle.