Leipheimer to try and win the TDF with RadioShack!

donrhummy

Levi has not only confirmed he's joining RadioShack but says he's going to try and win the TDF himself. Hmmm...replacing Contador? LOL. Does anyone here really think he's going to be a co-leader with lance?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/leiphei ... shack-deal

When asked if he thinks that his 2010 goals will include winning the Tour de France, Leipheimer responded, "I definitely do."
....
If I have the legs to win the Tour I want to be on this team."
....
Leipheimer believes that, "I'm not handicapped by being on the same team as Lance. It makes me ride stronger and better because it pushes me."

Neither Armstrong, 38, nor Leipheimer, 36, are letting their age stop them from further success in their sport. Leipheimer plans to continue his progress toward a Grand Tour victory - at least for the next two years.

dennisn

donrhummy wrote:

Levi has not only confirmed he's joining RadioShack but says he's going to try and win the TDF himself. Hmmm...replacing Contador? LOL. Does anyone here really think he's going to be a co-leader with lance?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/leiphei ... shack-deal

When asked if he thinks that his 2010 goals will include winning the Tour de France, Leipheimer responded, "I definitely do."
....
If I have the legs to win the Tour I want to be on this team."
....
Leipheimer believes that, "I'm not handicapped by being on the same team as Lance. It makes me ride stronger and better because it pushes me."

Neither Armstrong, 38, nor Leipheimer, 36, are letting their age stop them from further success in their sport. Leipheimer plans to continue his progress toward a Grand Tour victory - at least for the next two years.

Proper planning, proper training, staying injury free, good team to help, all the bases covered, and it's anyone of probably 10 or 20 guys race to win. I wouldn't call Levi the favorite but he's very capable.

Pokerface

dennisn wrote:

Proper planning, proper training, staying injury free, good team to help, all the bases covered, and it's anyone of probably 10 or 20 guys race to win. I wouldn't call Levi the favorite but he's very capable.

That's not really the point.

The point is - Levi's saying he's targeting the Tour and wants to win it. But he'll be expected to ride for Lance. So how can he win it? It's a lesser-talented version of this year's Tour.

Kléber

He's been trying for years, with Rabobank, Gerolsteiner, Discovery, Astana. Good luck to him but I think he might be better suited towards picking off one-week races like the now-in-May Tour of California and the Dauphiné and then spending July riding shotgun to Armstrong.

takethehighroad

He's almost definately capable dennis, but whether it's probable that he'll win is unlikely, becasue of the dynamic within the team.

You can prepare all you want but if you don't have the right team dynamic it's just one of the pieces of the jigsaw that you need to win the Tour (or any GT) that will be missing in Levi's case.

markwalker

TakeTheHighRoad wrote:

He's almost definately capable dennis, but whether it's probable that he'll win is unlikely, becasue of the dynamic within the team.

You can prepare all you want but if you don't have the right team dynamic it's just one of the pieces of the jigsaw that you need to win the Tour (or any GT) that will be missing in Levi's case.

didnt stop the Contador. But then Levi is not Cont a doer

teagar

He's too old.


He's 36, so he's only going to get worse. Contador is just breaking into his peak years, and Andy Schleck is only getting better with age.

No contest.

drenkrom

What's a guy supposed to say when a reporter asks if he'll try and win the Tour? "Are you crazy? The Boss would gut me alive!" would probably not go down well in the team. "I really don't think I have it in me" would also probably get stuck in someone's throat. So he spews the usual platitudes about the feeling in the legs, the advantages of multiple leaders, blah blah blah...

Coming from the old USPS school as he does and having been inside Astana this year, Leipheimer surely know better than anyone what the real deal will be. I personally don't think he has a GT win in him. If I was to race a GT as a leader, I'd want him on my side, though.

The Prodigy

drenkrom wrote:

What's a guy supposed to say when a reporter asks if he'll try and win the Tour? "Are you crazy? The Boss would gut me alive!" would probably not go down well in the team. "I really don't think I have it in me" would also probably get stuck in someone's throat. So he spews the usual platitudes about the feeling in the legs, the advantages of multiple leaders, blah blah blah...

Coming from the old USPS school as he does and having been inside Astana this year, Leipheimer surely know better than anyone what the real deal will be. I personally don't think he has a GT win in him. If I was to race a GT as a leader, I'd want him on my side, though.

Have to agree 100%, apart from the bit about the boss gutting him alive, surely he would just drive off with all the cars, ignore you at dinner, twitter away about what you have to learn and nick your drink bottles

donrhummy

drenkrom wrote:

What's a guy supposed to say when a reporter asks if he'll try and win the Tour? "Are you crazy? The Boss would gut me alive!" would probably not go down well in the team. "I really don't think I have it in me" would also probably get stuck in someone's throat. So he spews the usual platitudes about the feeling in the legs, the advantages of multiple leaders, blah blah blah...

Coming from the old USPS school as he does and having been inside Astana this year, Leipheimer surely know better than anyone what the real deal will be. I personally don't think he has a GT win in him. If I was to race a GT as a leader, I'd want him on my side, though.

I don't know about that. he very easily could have said that he was going to be Lance's right hand man and do everything in his power to bring Lance and the team a TDF victory and try to make the podium himself and step up if anything happened to Lance. But he didn't. Instead he declared that he was also going for the victory. It's a bit weird.

cougie

I expect a win in the TOC and some US races - but not the Tour - thats Lance territory.

dennisn

cougie wrote:

I expect a win in the TOC and some US races - but not the Tour - thats Lance territory.

If Lance can win it he will. But besides himself winning he has to take into account
getting the win for The Shack, as I'm sure he made them promise the world if he(the team
or himself) delivers the win. I'm sure he wants to win, but sooner or later the realities of the race will take hold and they may have a different outcome in mind. Possibly leaving him some other position, than at the top. Sometimes the dice just don't roll your way.

cougie

I just cant see Levi delivering. I'd put money on Lance over Levi to be honest.

Levi will know its Lances team anyway - he is the number one rider.

frenchfighter

3rd at Vuelta 01.

zippypablo

Let's be honest

Levi's best chances of winning the Tour have gone.
OK, he's younger than Lance but he's not going to win the Tour or lead Radioshack

Is it the need to have an American contendor? Remember Hincapie being talked up as a possible winner a few years back?

zippypablo

oops
that should be contender (I blame Contador)

ACMadone

teagar wrote:

He's too old.


He's 36, so he's only going to get worse. Contador is just breaking into his peak years, and Andy Schleck is only getting better with age.

No contest.

Couldn't have put it better