Don't Believe What You Read, Levi Leipheimer Won't Win
If you're not watching the Tour de France, but casually following it, you might be under the impression that Levi Leipheimer - American and leader of Team Discovery - is right in the mix for the race.
I think Versus is really hoping Levi will be competing for the yellow jersey. I think Levi believes he has a chance, as does Team Discovery. But I also think Team Discovery now knows they have a better chance with Alberto Contador, the brilliant 24-year-old who finished 4th to Levi's 7th in today's inconclusive yet illuminating day on the final stage of the Alps.
I don't even think Levi is the second best rider right now for Team Discovery. That title belongs with Yaroslav Popovich, the Ukrainian holdover from the Armstrong days. Popovich, still only 26, could probably be contending for the King of the Mountains competition if he wasn't pouring out his sweat for the greater cause of Team Discovery. Today, that meant getting an early breakaway going and staying out ahead so that when either Levi or Contador decided they felt strong and could attack, he would be there to spring them onward. I love Popovich, and you would too if you had seen the huge grin he wore as he dragged himself to the line in 13th place after leading or riding far ahead in 2nd for most of the race. He gave up his own chance at the stage to boost Contador's chance for the entire Tour.
But back to Levi, who is 33-years-old by the way. Granted, I've only watched him in action on the Tour de France and only for the past couple years. But I have never once seen him attack. I've only seen him defend. (By defend, I mean he'll react to a surge by another contender to not let them escape.) He doesn't seem to have the killer instinct of Lance Armstrong, or the heart that Floyd Landis showed last year, even if he was doping.
On Sunday, the French rider Christophe Moreau, another seasoned veteran at 37, showed tremendous heart by attacking repeatedly. He would have done major damage to several contenders, including Leipheimer, if the half dozen other contenders who stayed with him on the attacks had gotten organized and worked together up the final climb. That would have solidified the gap they had built up. But Moreau kept attacking and that little group never got organized. The commentator Phil Liggett said that it takes brains as well as heart to win the Tour de France.
Levi Leipheimer is the flip side of Christophe Moreau. Levi is all brains. He doesn't have the gusto to go for an attack. Perhaps he also doesn't have the legs. But Contador seems to have the heart and the legs.
If I'm Team Discovery, I set up Contador later this week when the Tour moves into the Pyrenees and let him attack, with support from Popovich and hopefully George Hincapie if the latter regains his missing form. They support Leipheimer too, but Leipheimer is the backup plan, shadowing the front pack that Contador will attack from.
One thing that could change that strategy is if Levi lays down a monster individual time trial on Saturday, the day before the Tour returns to the high mountains. He's an excellent Time Trialer, supposedly. But the Tour de France brings out the best in a lot of riders. I've seen nothing to believe Levi can take his game to another level.
I think Versus is really hoping Levi will be competing for the yellow jersey. I think Levi believes he has a chance, as does Team Discovery. But I also think Team Discovery now knows they have a better chance with Alberto Contador, the brilliant 24-year-old who finished 4th to Levi's 7th in today's inconclusive yet illuminating day on the final stage of the Alps.
I don't even think Levi is the second best rider right now for Team Discovery. That title belongs with Yaroslav Popovich, the Ukrainian holdover from the Armstrong days. Popovich, still only 26, could probably be contending for the King of the Mountains competition if he wasn't pouring out his sweat for the greater cause of Team Discovery. Today, that meant getting an early breakaway going and staying out ahead so that when either Levi or Contador decided they felt strong and could attack, he would be there to spring them onward. I love Popovich, and you would too if you had seen the huge grin he wore as he dragged himself to the line in 13th place after leading or riding far ahead in 2nd for most of the race. He gave up his own chance at the stage to boost Contador's chance for the entire Tour.
But back to Levi, who is 33-years-old by the way. Granted, I've only watched him in action on the Tour de France and only for the past couple years. But I have never once seen him attack. I've only seen him defend. (By defend, I mean he'll react to a surge by another contender to not let them escape.) He doesn't seem to have the killer instinct of Lance Armstrong, or the heart that Floyd Landis showed last year, even if he was doping.
On Sunday, the French rider Christophe Moreau, another seasoned veteran at 37, showed tremendous heart by attacking repeatedly. He would have done major damage to several contenders, including Leipheimer, if the half dozen other contenders who stayed with him on the attacks had gotten organized and worked together up the final climb. That would have solidified the gap they had built up. But Moreau kept attacking and that little group never got organized. The commentator Phil Liggett said that it takes brains as well as heart to win the Tour de France.
Levi Leipheimer is the flip side of Christophe Moreau. Levi is all brains. He doesn't have the gusto to go for an attack. Perhaps he also doesn't have the legs. But Contador seems to have the heart and the legs.
If I'm Team Discovery, I set up Contador later this week when the Tour moves into the Pyrenees and let him attack, with support from Popovich and hopefully George Hincapie if the latter regains his missing form. They support Leipheimer too, but Leipheimer is the backup plan, shadowing the front pack that Contador will attack from.
One thing that could change that strategy is if Levi lays down a monster individual time trial on Saturday, the day before the Tour returns to the high mountains. He's an excellent Time Trialer, supposedly. But the Tour de France brings out the best in a lot of riders. I've seen nothing to believe Levi can take his game to another level.
Labels: Levi Leipheimer, Tour de France
posted by Prof. A at 9:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home