If you saw Levi Leipheimer's dramatic, uphill breakaway toward the end of stage 2 of the Tour of California yesterday, you saw bike racing at its finest.
It was a happy day for me, of course.
Levi decided to take control of "his" race and grab the yellow jersey back from Rock Racing's Mancebo. Leipheimer broke away and motored up the final climb of the day, bridging a considerable three-plus minute gap on a steep grade, and then passing the leaders like they were fence posts. "“It was like a motorcycle passing you,” Jacques-Maynes said of Leipheimer in VeloNews. “A small motorcycle.”
Other notable quotes from Levi, in the same VeloNews story, regarding the proceedings:
“Turn your shower on, as cold as it gets, and stand there for four hours,” is how Leipheimer described the feeling on the bike Monday.
“When we hit the bottom of Bonny Doon there were a couple of attacks, and I felt great. I looked around, and I could see people were at their limit,” Leipheimer said. “I had Popovych next to me. I said, ‘Light it up, Popo.’”
Go here for a good video recap. On that page, you'll also find a couple of good interview with Levi, Lance and others.
He the man!
1 comment:
I saw the 1-hour summary show last night...that was a GREAT climb by Levi. I'll be recording the live coverage of the rest of the stages.
I don't think it can be overstated how miserable it is to ride a long distance in a cold rain. I once did the 2nd half of a century in the rain, and even though it was fairly warm that day, I vowed never again.
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