Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Mt Hood Classic Photo ©: Swift |
 |
Clear blue water: The Levi Leipheimer diary 2005
Levi Leipheimer shot to prominence when he made the podium at the 2001 Vuelta while riding for US Postal. He spent three years at Rabobank before joining the German Gerolsteiner team for 2005, where he is one of the team's main men for stage race general classifications.
Leipheimer has twice finished in the top ten at the Tour de France, and this year will aim higher if his form allows. "We'll have to wait and see," he says. Follow Levi's progress to the Tour and beyond on Cyclingnews.
July 4, 2005
Fast, furious and nervous
Fast and furious once again. Or should I say fast and nervous. Both would describe today's stage.
|
It's weird, you know - we're going so fast and it's always crazy but it's not all that hard. I didn't find either today or yesterday very difficult, aside from the constant fight for position. Every time I took a bottle from my teammates today I'd lose twenty spots. You can't stop concentrating for even a second.
212 kilometres seemed to just fly by. I guess that's a good thing. It wouldn't be much fun to be suffering this early in the race. The flat stages are like that - you roll along at a pretty fast pace, concentrating on staying upright and in a decent position, and before you know it the sprinters are getting ready to do their thing.
|
I'm so impressed by David Zabriskie. Normally he tends to be nervous riding at the front but he's always in good position these past two days. I guess the yellow jersey has that effect on people. Even towards the end of the race he was up front in the action. So impressive!
It's a miracle there wasn't a crash in the finish of the stage considering how narrow the road was.
Tomorrow is the team time trial. I think we have a shot at doing well. We're well prepared.
|
We came to ride the course a couple months ago and we're using special equipment. Most of the guys are using special team time trial handlebars. I'm not because I've chosen to adjust my normal time trial bars a little wider instead. This way I can stay in them the entire time and still handle my bike.
Making them wider makes the entire team more aero even though it doesn't really make the individual rider aero on the front. So far it looks like the weather will be good, unlike last year, which will make it a lot easier to concentrate on going fast.
Time to eat some more food and get some sleep.
Thanks for reading,
Levi
2005 diary entries
Tour of Germany
-
August 22: Huge rabbits and a huge win
|
|
|
Tour de France
- July 25: Another Tour chapter closed
- July 22: Legs do the talking
- July 21: Running naked
- July 20: Another day of punishment
- July 19: Great guy, true professional
- July 17: Just surviving
- July 16: A really tough day
- July 15: Impressive Horner - & more traffic woes
- July 14: A special French day
- July 13: Taking on the Galibier
- July 12: School's back in
- July 10: Waiting for the real race
- July 9: A strange day
- July 8: Fair Deutschland!
- July 7: Not another flat stage!
- July 6: A bad joke...
- July 5: Goliath takes the day
- July 4: Fast, furious and nervous
- July 3: Slightly controlled confusion and stress
- July 2: Not great, but not catastrophic
- July 1: Standing on the edge of another Tour
Tour de Georgia
- April 24: On the midnight plane to Girona
- April 23: Raw power
- April 22: Dodgeball
- April 21: The Raining of Rome
- April 20: Peter's March
- April 19: Aliens racing in Tour de Georgia
- April 18: Back in the USA
Cyclingnews interviews with Levi Leipheimer
February 2005
September 2003
May 2003
November 2002
January 2002
