Floyds of Leadville

As a professional cyclist, pain management becomes a way of life. I suffered many injuries that come with my sport, but it was a 35 mile per hour crash that changed everything. I hit a hole in the road, violently sending me to the ground, leading to a hip replacement at the age of 31. Two weeks after my first hip surgery I was on a plane flying to Europe to continue racing. To control the pain I turned to opioids, powerful drugs with numerous side effects. After my disqualification from the 2006 Tour de France and subsequent ban from professional cycling, I started to rely on opioids, not only for pain relief, but as a way to escape my depression. I had won the Tour de France, considered the pinnacle of sporting accomplishment, only to have it stripped from me. I was left to pick up the pieces of my life and try to redefine myself. I was no longer a professional athlete in one of the most popular sports in the world. I was now a disgraced former athlete with numerous lingering painf...