Landis returns to racing

Floyd Landis isn't letting his upcoming doping hearing or last year's hip surgery stop him from riding his bike. He will compete in the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado, in June.

Landis will compete as a member of Team Athletes for a Cure in the Ultimate Mountain Challenge, a two-day competition consisting of four separate races -- road biking, kayaking, trail running and mountain biking. He will ride the road and mountain biking stages, and his team partners will be world-class kayaker Tao Berman and accomplished trail runner Simon Gutierrez, according to his website, floydlandis.com.

The event's sponsors aren't letting themselves be scared off by Landis' legal problems and are looking forward to the press attention that they hope he will bring with him. "From the event's perspective, he's a big-name athlete that we are excited will be able to generate quite a bit of coverage for the event and hopefully raise quite a bit of money for a great cause," event spokesman Ian Anderson told the AP.

"I am honoured to be invited to take part in the Teva Mountain Games for such an important cause," remarked Landis, who tested positive for Testosterone in the Tour de France. "I am excited to put my new hip to the test racing in the Rockies and this is a wonderful opportunity to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation at the same time."