PARIS (AP) — The highs and lows of Floyd Landis’ nail-biter of a bike race ended without a hitch Sunday as he won the Tour de France and kept cycling’s most prestigious title in American hands for the eighth straight year.
The 30-year-old Landis, pedaling with an injured hip, cruised to victory on the cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees, a day after regaining the leader’s yellow jersey and building an insurmountable lead in the final time trial.
“I kept fighting, never stopped believing,” Landis said, shortly after he received the winner’s yellow jersey on the podium, joined by his daughter, Ryan.
How tough is he? He needs a hip replacement, but won anyway.
His 8-minute comeback a couple of days ago was one of the most amazing biking performances ever. Wonder if he’ll get back to this level with his new hip. Orthopods say it’s possible, so I’d guess he’d give it a shot.
I heard it was bilateral hip replacement…
Either way, what an accomplishment!
Seems like enterprising orthopods doing hip replacement surgery should try to recruit Landis into doing TV endorsements for them !!
Kim,
Sure you’re not thinking of my comment about Rudy Galindo having bilateral hip replacement for AVN? Quite impressive – I first heard about it as I was involved in a discussion about age and joint replacements. A guy in the discussion was trying to say that as bad as the pain of AVN is, if the replacement really does make it that much better (and in most cases, I’ve heard positive results), then why not go for it? He was trying to say that if Galindo can get bilat hips replaced and go back out to skate the way he does, then that’s gotta say something about what getting a replacement does for the AVN patient.
Impressive, but I’m not jumping in line for new knees just yet!
However, Landis has definitely inspired me!
Take care,
Carrie :)
A great man with so much courage. He deserved to win.
Impressive, yes. But is it possible he has avascular necrosis from a history of steroid use??? Just wondering, not trying to upset the apple cart.
Doc Tom,
I believe his AVN was from a bad fall 3 years ago on his bike. I didn’t think AVN came from anabolic steroid use anyways – only corticosteroid use. Am I wrong? I’m more familiar with the corticosteroid cause since that’s what gave me mine!
–Carrie :)
There are some things here I am not understanding. This sounds like an OS’s nightmare to me. I can say that because Iam a recent reciepient of a total joint replacement. I was told to either take care of my new joint or risk revision which is not a good place to be. I think having joint replacement means you get a second chance to walk and do things again but not try and destroy what a surgeon has given you. I was told no jumping. kneeling or anything that causes undue stress on that joint. Why is this a good thing to get these joints replaced and then be encouraged to go ruin them. They are made of metal and plastic. They aren’t intened to last through competitive sports. Recovery from total joint surgery is not fun at all. Why someone would take these type risks following one is beyond me. I doubt any OS would be using this as a way to get more business. They warn strongly against it.
Cathy,
Maybe it’s because my knee wasn’t replaced yet, but my OS was all for going out and doing whatever I could tolerate. I asked him if I could still risk skating when I had been doing jumps that often cause me to launch off the left leg and land hard on the right….and not to mention the numerous spills. He said fine. He said okay to tennis. He said okay to running, if I felt up to it. He knew I wouldn’t go back to most of that because of pain. He did have me walking on full weight as soon as I could physically tolerate it, and PT and the OS residents were ecstatic that I was going up and down stairs on the crutches the day after surgery. But like I said, I didn’t have a replacement. However, I had numerous conversations with him about the possibility of replacement (ceramic would be most likely for me) and he never said that would restrict my future. Between him and PT, I was pushed to be more active than I thought would be possible after being diagnosed with AVN. The rheumy who initially found it told me that the more I was on my feet, the sooner I’d need a replacement. So it was a lot different to hear what my OS had to say – but I guess since he specialises in AVN, he also knew that there’s a point where physical activity doesn’t limit it. Don’t know though – out of the 5 orthopods I’ve been to, you’d think one of them might have suggested slowing down a bit! :)
Carrie, I can almost guarantee that if you have knee replacement you will hear a different story for your OS. He can’t really stop someone from doing jumps and landing hard on one leg but he will tell you what the consequences could be. I know mine will allow playing golf, I’m not sure about tennis, but he sure wouldn’t allow any jumping, kneeling, squating, nothing that causes direct overuse of that knee. Think about it,it is plastic and metal, screws and cement, or ceramic. Cars are made of metals, plastic and screws. Those parts wear out over time and with abuse they wear out much quicker. Dr. K. who has an Orthopedic institude in White Plains NY is also the OS who moderates the joint replacement board on Web Md. I will try to find some of his articles and post them on my site.
Once a person has a joint replacement and goes through the PT and spends the many months that it takes to recover I contend they would be a fool to go out and deliberatly ruin that. But just in case they do, what then? Sure you can have a revision, but what about when that revision goes. you can’t keep having them. My doc. says he really only like to do a revision once. They are even harder on you than the initial replacement. Replacement last about 10-15 years according to my doc. That is without adding abuse to it. So if you are 40 and have one and then have a revision at 50 then where are you at 60? If you have the initial one at 40 and because of abuse you need a revision at 45 then where does that leave you? Something to think about.
Cathy,
But then…a former friend of mine told me about his grandfather’s hip replacement. The man fell walking in his own home and bent it. Are we ever truly safe? Sure I can understand reducing the risks but when you’re young and it’s all you have in your life, then I can’t say I would condemn someone from doing what they felt they had to do. For Landis, I think this race was more than just a sports dream but also determination to show himself, inspite of osteonecrosis, that he could do it. I can understand that…as that’s how I completed my 2 piano recitals for my first degree even in spite of the things I was going through. Granted, I wasn’t directly injuring anything (although, that may not be entirely true…piano is a lot rougher on a person than most people think!), but I pushed myself because I had to do it….not just for my degree, but for myself. I sat at one jury after having an entire semester of blanking out in every single piece and performance from short-term memory loss due to topamax with my best friend permitted to sit backstage with all 4 of my pieces, following along to rush out on stage in case I had a memory slip. I know it’s a different type of situation as personal injury wasn’t involved, but just sayin – some things we have to do to prove to ourselves…
I personally have no desire to go out and be so physically active with or without replacement. I do love skating, but since leaving Penn State, I gave it up mostly anyways, so it’s not as great a loss. I can see why Galindo feels the need to continue to skate on bilat replaced hips, however! It’s what drives a person…but I’m not saying that’s what everyone should do, by any means. When I get my replacements, I’ll be taking good care of them because I don’t feel like having them be worn out by age 45 and then having to quit my job and end up in a wheelchair for life…but that’s just me… ;) In Landis’s case, he hasn’t actually had the replacement yet – so he’s basically just pushing himself through excruciating pain. And it’s true that once you get to the later stages of AVN, you can’t really hurt yourself worse by activity – the disease does what it wants to do without regard to rest or stress and strain… Just my .02 :)
As an occasional cyclist myself, I’ve never felt like my hips were at risk, except from a fall. Frankly, it’s nice exercise and very little joint ‘pounding’ that would contribute to prosthetic failure.
Grunt Doc, I was responding more to Carrie’s remarks about Galindo and returning to skating and jumping after joint replacement. I had TKR so maybe the rules are completely different with THR. hmmm, makes me wonder about it now. It would be nice if an OS came across this thread and commented.