GrizGuy
Well-known member
I know there is a small handful of cycling enthusiasts on this board.. And after Montana-native Levi Leipheimer won the Castilla y Leon last week, I started to wonder if maybe 2009 will be his year at le Tour...
I'm still not sure, but Levi is, so far, head-and-shoulders the best time trial rider in stage racing... And yet he rides well in the mountains (although not as well as his teammate Alberto Contador)..
And then with Lance Armstrong getting a broken collarbone, it makes me wonder what will happen to Levi's Astana team in three months.
If Contador doesn't start winning some races, he might lose his spot as the team leader.. And if Lance hadn't broken his collarbone, I would've expected team manager Johan Brunyeel to name Armstrong the leader... But with Levi winning two stage races at the outset of this season... I dunno, I can see a glimmer of possibility for him..
Of course it's still early.
Here's a short, but interesting, article on the Castilla results: http://www.velonews.com/article/89821
The way these guys are willing to carry water for one another demonstrates that they have a real team mindset despite cycling giving individual accolades. It's nice to see, especially in a sport with some competitors as haughty and self-important as F1 drivers! If they keep that up, they will definitely be the winning team at le Tour... I think the only question at this point is which individual on the team will win the yellow jersey. I've pretty much written Lance off for that victory. At his age, with his three-year layoff and now the broken collarbone.. He's going to miss some important training and racing. He's got about 15 weeks until le Tour... Seems like a lot to overcome at this point on the calendar, but obviously, he's not one to be discounted. But it'll be a run season to watch unfold.
I'm still not sure, but Levi is, so far, head-and-shoulders the best time trial rider in stage racing... And yet he rides well in the mountains (although not as well as his teammate Alberto Contador)..
And then with Lance Armstrong getting a broken collarbone, it makes me wonder what will happen to Levi's Astana team in three months.
If Contador doesn't start winning some races, he might lose his spot as the team leader.. And if Lance hadn't broken his collarbone, I would've expected team manager Johan Brunyeel to name Armstrong the leader... But with Levi winning two stage races at the outset of this season... I dunno, I can see a glimmer of possibility for him..
Of course it's still early.
Here's a short, but interesting, article on the Castilla results: http://www.velonews.com/article/89821
The way these guys are willing to carry water for one another demonstrates that they have a real team mindset despite cycling giving individual accolades. It's nice to see, especially in a sport with some competitors as haughty and self-important as F1 drivers! If they keep that up, they will definitely be the winning team at le Tour... I think the only question at this point is which individual on the team will win the yellow jersey. I've pretty much written Lance off for that victory. At his age, with his three-year layoff and now the broken collarbone.. He's going to miss some important training and racing. He's got about 15 weeks until le Tour... Seems like a lot to overcome at this point on the calendar, but obviously, he's not one to be discounted. But it'll be a run season to watch unfold.
