(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Remember Floyd Landis? He’s the former professional road cyclist and Tour de France competitor who’s made a return to the public spotlight as the founder of a line of cannabis products.
Landis and his partner (and former teammate) David Zabriskie launched their Floyd’s of Leadville hemp oil pills in Portland last summer. Now they’re back in town with plans to open three retail stores that promise to be, “Portland’s first cycling-themed retail cannabis location.”
As the Willamette Week reported in June, Landis is re-branding three existing cannabis stores and transitioning them into the new “active-lifestyle” stores to be named Floyd’s Fine Cannabis.
Here’s more from a press statement:
“Floyd Landis is a former Tour de France winner and professional cyclist well-known for his work with the US Postal Service Cycling Team in the early 2000s. He was later sidelined by a number of difficulties including hip surgery at age 31. His subsequent discovery of cannabis for pain management led to him founding his non-psychoactive CBD products company Floyd’s of Leadville. He now is branching out into cannabis retail with Floyd’s Fine Cannabis… Floyd’s Fine Cannabis is about the integration of cannabis products into active lifestyles.”
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Also to come is a co-branded sock collaboration with Portland-based cycling and running lifestyle and apparel store The Athletic. We profiled The Athletic back in 2015 on the occasion of their first anniversary. In addition to selling the socks and other “active outdoor products that compliment [sic] cannabis,” the new Floyd’s Fine Cannabis stores will host regular bike rides and other events.
(Photo: Grown Rogue Cycling Team/FB)
Lest you think this is Portland’s first direct commercial connection between cannabis and cycling, keep in mind that the Grown Rogue Cycling Team (links to Facebook) boasts 25 full time racers and has been competing in Oregon Bicycle Racing Association events all year. Grown Rogue is a “seed to sale” cannabis company based in Medford Oregon whose CEO and President Obie Strickler said in a 2017 press statement, “We believe our ethos and mantra at Grown Rogue fit well with the sport of cycling. Freedom, beauty, independence, healthy competition–the bicycle represents all these things.”
The grand opening party for Floyd’s Fine Cannabis will be held on September 30th at the NE Broadway location (801 NE Broadway).
For more on this topic, read Anne-Marije Rook’s article on CyclingTips.com, “Does cannabis belong in bike racing?”
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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This sort of association makes a lot more sense than the usual bikes + beer combo that we see so often. As much as I appreciate and enjoy local craft brew, cannabis use is so much safer and better for you than alcohol, especially in the context of physical activity. Good to see.
He got banned from the sport for admitting to doping. Seems this fact is being convenitally being forgotten as people jump on his current band wagon.
He got banned, lost his tour title, then swindled how many people with his bullshit book and fund-raising??? This guy is a royal a$$. It’s very disheartening to see how quickly people forget, or overlook, all the crap he pulled.
Exactly. Guys like this (and Armstrong!) pretty much soured me on pro cycling.
Cannabis is so far from EPO and other performance enhancing drugs cyclists and other athletes use there isn’t even any comparison. Furthermore, in football, hockey, and other contact sports with high injury rates cannabis is known today as a viable – if still illegal – alternative to opioid use for pain management; and true CBD medicinals don’t even get you high – they don’t contain enough THC.
Anyway, bicycle racing is more entertainment than sport, tour de france cyclists have been doping since the race began, who cares? Let the participants dope, the only reason it’s an issue in any way, shape or form is because of the totally misguided ‘War on Drugs’.
If this is the way Floyd wants to make his living today, more power to him, but he’s entering a pretty crowded field in Oregon, and I don’t think he’s gonna make it on his name alone, his products will have to be both top-notch and affordable, and somehow stand out from what’s already on offer.
“Anyway, bicycle racing is more entertainment than sport, tour de france cyclists have been doping since the race began, who cares? Let the participants dope, the only reason it’s an issue in any way, shape or form is because of the totally misguided ‘War on Drugs’.”
No. When up and coming young adults are faced with a dope or don’t play decision, and most of the poor saps who try to do it clean can’t get a contract, or at least can’t compete at a level they would be able to with all clean, then are many more reasons. And I care.
I don’t see how his opening a marijuana shop has anything to do with his past. Can you tell us what he should be doing with his life?
Kind of ironic that cycling’s most infamous NARC is now going to be the one selling the drugs.
landis never won the tour.
Except when he won in 2006. However, he was later disqualified from this title.
From Wikipedia: During 2006 and 2007, Landis is believed to have raised about $1 million from the “Floyd Fairness Fund”, established by businessman Thom Weisel. He appealed to supporters to donate “anything they could” to help him pay his reportedly $2 million legal bill, while denying his involvement in doping. Landis reached an agreement with federal prosecutors over allegations that he fraudulently solicited donations for a defense fund he set up to fight doping charges. He appeared before a federal judge on August 24, 2012 for a “deferred prosecution” hearing at which he agreed to pay restitution.
C’mon Matt are you still upset you didn’t get your Kickstarter perk for donating to him? 😉
Exactly!
The actual doping isn’t so bad. Practically everyone was doping. Like Zabriskie. I like Dave, though. He’s not a jerk.
This is awesome.
Floyd if you are going places in Portland that bike is going to need some pedals. I have some 2-bolt SPDs if that is how you roll ;).
But those valve stems are at the almost perfect 6:00 photo position…
A whole new meaning for “doping”.
lol, don’t do steroids, kids.
Sure, perhaps you could entertain us all by qualifying for, and entering Paris-Roubaix in 2019. That would be interesting, I’m sure.
Can’t support a liar and a cheat!
Oh get off your high horse.
Lots of people seem to enthusiastically support DJT.
Liar and cheat applies to many politicians, Republican and Democrat. But there are some very fine people on both sides 🙂
According to Wikipedia: “In August 2012, Landis admitted to fraud, and was ordered to pay US$487,000 in restitution. He reached a deal to avoid being prosecuted for the fraud charges as long as he paid the restitution.”
Why would anyone want to do business with an ADMITTED FRAUD? Mr. Landis seems very sorry to have been caught, but appears to have little remorse for having cheated or having perpetrated a fraud. He has justly earned his ignominy and his infamy. I, for one, will not waste my money on someone with such a lack of integrity.