Floyd Landis said a major factor in his decision to support a new gravel and mountain bike team in 2022 was that David 'Tinker' Juarez's long-term sponsor has discontinued its support for him. The Floyd's of Leadville Racing team, announced Tuesday, will feature Juarez along with Taylor Rideen, Anne Donley, Victor Cachez, and Genevieve Jansson.

The 60-year-old American rider won gold at the 1995 Pan Am Games, three NORBA National Cross Country Championships, five NORBA National 24-Hour Championships, and three UCI Masters World Championships. He had been supported by Cannondale since 1994, but in a social media post in October, he said the brand unexpectedly ended its long relationship with him. He later deleted that post.

"Folks, Cannondale is firing me because they don't have the budget to retain me...$25,000 is not a lot of money for a cyclist who has been racing for nearly 50 years, and I don't have time to write all the things I have done. But I can assure you that I have sold more bikes for Cannondale than anyone else who races for the company. I have dedicated my life to promoting Cannondale and have raced as much or more than the top XC racers.

Cannondale released a statement saying, "No rider has inspired and inspired me to improve since the early days of mountain bike racing as much as Tinker Juarez." He said the company has supported him for 27 years and is grateful and appreciative of the time they spent together.

"Tinker has decided to seek a different level of support from a different bike partner than Cannondale offers to better align with his goals for the coming years. We will forever be one of his biggest fans and we thank Tinker for the contributions he has made to Cannondale, the sport of mountain biking, and the broader cycling community."

According to Landis, the dissolution of this relationship was a fundamental element in the launch of the new Floyds of Leadville Racing team, which was announced on Tuesday.

"It was almost the catalyst for the decision to form the team," Landis said. 'I know Tinker doesn't do a lot of gravel ...... I mean, he's [raced] all over the place, but he's a mountain biker, and he was before I did mountain biking.

"I read some comments about how sad he was that his sponsors were gone. I said to myself, 'I have to get in touch with Tinker. I've known him probably since 1993 or so. And he is the kindest, most genuine person, and he treats everyone he meets with the same genuine interest. There could not be a better ambassador for the brand and the sport itself."

Landis previously used funds he received as a whistleblower in the U.S. government trial against his former teammate Lance Armstrong to support the former Silver Pro Racing team and fund its 2019 road season. That support as a continental program ended after one year, but due to Juarez's situation, Landis decided to support another team.

"I couldn't believe that the opportunity to not sponsor him even existed," Landis said.

"I think Cannondale is one of those companies that changes their marketing or whatever happens. It made sense for me to partner with someone like him. He is an outstanding human being."

According to the team's preliminary calendar for Juarez, it has a busy racing schedule with 20 events over a 12-month period. Some of these events include several days of racing in Europe. Landis said Juarez will lean toward mountain bike events.

"I think he'll be riding gravel here and there. I don't mean to speak for him, but I think he prefers mountain biking. Gravel is newer and his skills are a little different, but not by much. I mean, he has the skills to do it."

"As far as Tinker is concerned, my support is to let him do the races he wants to do. He loves to race bikes and will go every weekend if there is a race. And he's a big star in the cycling world. Anyone involved in mountain biking knows Tinker. He's the kind of guy who stays after the race is over and talks to everybody and genuinely, genuinely interacts with everybody."

"So I try to let him do what he wants to do.

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