Defeated Tour de France winner made his fortune selling cannabis
He's American, won the Tour de France before being disqualified for doping, and rode for the famous US Postal team in the early 2000s... But he's no Lance Armstrong! Less prominent than the former cycling star, who continues to stir up controversy through his Twitter account, this cycling champion is also hated by his former leader Armstrong. And for good reason: he helped bring him down by providing numerous incriminating testimonies during the trial in the United States against Sheryl Crow's ex-partner.
That cyclist is, of course, Floyd Landis, winner of the 2006 Tour de France. The American, who became the leader after playing the role of Lance Armstrong's shadowy teammate in previous years, was stripped of his victory due to a positive testosterone test during the 17th stage. Having become a key witness in the trial brought by the American justice system against Lance Armstrong, he then did not hesitate to initiate legal proceedings on behalf of the American government. Bingo, since the former yellow jersey rider ultimately obtained around $750,000 of the $5 million paid by Lance Armstrong to settle the case!
Floyd Landis didn't stop there and built his business in a surprising sector: the legal sale of CBD, authorized in his native Colorado. His company was launched in 2016 and is called Floyd's of Leadville. According to the company's website, it offers cannabis-infused creams, drinks, and pain-relieving capsules. Landis assures us that cannabidiol, the anti-inflammatory component of marijuana, can do better than doping, especially for him, who suffers from hip problems. And it works! His company quickly multiplied distribution contracts to establish itself as a CBD player in the United States, while relying on the production of the Amish community where Landis is from. He explained this in a 2019 article for Bicycling.
"This thing has done so much for me," he commented to The Atlantic in 2016, before detailing his business in an interview with Le Parisien in 2020. "I see you coming. You're going to tell me, after dope, Floyd got into drugs. He's definitely not going to get out of it," he confided, not without humor, before becoming more serious.
"I fell low, very, very low. I fell into a lot of pain. I took a lot of crap that cannabis replaced. Marijuana allowed me to sleep." His fortune even allowed him to found his own cycling team in 2019, sponsored by his CBD store and online shop. However, the team has since ceased operations, and Floyd Landis has now taken up gravel riding. "It's been a long road for me in cycling. It feels good to start again and be fit, and not like I used to be. I just like riding my bike now. Yeah, it's fun. It took a while," he told Cyclingnews in July 2025.
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