Colorado Dispensary Fire Forces Evacuations as Community Revisits Floyd Landis’ Path From Cyclist to CBD Founder

On Thursday, December 18, 2025, Floyd’s of Leadville, a marijuana and CBD dispensary, caught fire, prompting an air quality alert to the community.

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The incident took place just after 9 a.m. and resulted in outdoor activities at the nearby Lake County Elementary School being cancelled and evacuations for nearby homes and businesses.

While the incident was unfortunate for many in the town of Leadville, it also inspired the sharing of the story behind the dispensary and what prompted its namesake, Floyd Landis, to open it in the first place.

Who is the Man Behind the Burned Colorado Dispensary?

Perhaps the most famous cyclist in history is Lance Armstrong, but another man, Floyd Landis, has also won the coveted Tour De France, and ended up founding Floyd’s of Leadville.

After winning the Tour De France, Floyd Landis was forced to quit cycling at only 31 years of age after suffering a bicycle accident as he was traveling at 35 miles per hour.
The accident resulted in Landis suffering significant injuries, and the 31-year-old cyclist had to get a hip replacement.

Because of the pain Landis endured as a result of the accident and the highly invasive surgery, he was prescribed opioids, which are extremely addictive and damaging when taken for long periods of time.

Not wanting to have to rely on prescription drugs for the rest of his life, in addition to dealing with the fact that he would no longer be able to physically compete in the sport that he loved and dedicated so much of his life to, Floyd opted to replace opioids with CBD, a chemical found in marijuana used to treat pain, anxiety, depression, and other ailments.

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This switch proved to be effective and inspired Landis to open Floyd’s of Leadville.
Unfortunately, Landis’s business suffered significant damage, and the cause of the fire is still unknown.