Pain, Adaptation, and Courage in Professional Cycling

Floyd Landis is a professional cyclist currently employed by Team Phonak. As a result of a crash in 2003, he suffers osteonecrosis ("bone death") in one hip, with chronic, debilitating pain. In spite of it, he has won three world-class races this year, and he's currently making a strong showing in the Tour de France. Landis, his coach, and his doctors are considering a hip replacement during the off-season, but the big question is, "Will it slow him down?"

A profile of Landis, What He's Been Pedaling, will appear in The New York Times Magazine next Sunday. Here's an excerpt:

...First, it’s funny because in almost every situation in his life, Landis is slow. He walks with a limp. He sits as often as possible and cannot cross his right leg over his left. He takes elevators instead of stairs, valet-parks at the shopping mall and sometimes has difficulty sleeping. Running is out of the question. Like many of the 216,000 Americans who will receive hip replacements this year, his life is defined by chronic, debilitating pain.

Second, it’s funny because there exists a singular situation — which is to say, when he is on a bike — in which Landis is extremely fast and strong. He is so fast and strong, in fact, that this year he has won three world-class races and, as of July 7, was among the leaders in this year’s Tour de France, which ends July 23 in Paris.

But perhaps the funniest part is that Landis has been successful at keeping his hip condition a secret from teammates, rivals and the media for 20 months, confiding it only to a small handful of doctors and close friends. This maneuver has involved what Landis, who was raised as a Mennonite in Lancaster County, Pa., calls ‘‘a few adaptations.’’

‘‘I always have to get on my bike putting my right leg over first,’’ Landis told me. ‘‘If I tried to get on the other way’’ — tilting his pelvis against his damaged hip — ‘‘I’d be lying on the pavement. Then people would be standing around wondering what the hell’s wrong with that guy?’’

Read the full story.