Levi and Odessa: a day in the life

[fiamme red]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/11/CMGDVNK8E31.DTL

[Climb01742]

interesting to see more focus on the support needed to help a pro train. so is odessa happy do this or not?

[MartyE]

interesting to see more focus on the support needed to help a pro train. so is odessa happy do this or not?

"Spain is a sacrafice. . ."

no atmo

[pdxmech13]

that was a surprisingly well written article. It is interesting to read about the little things that people do.

[BumbleBeeDave]

All he's gonna be doing is bringing water up to Basso.

Seriously, I'd love to see Basso get busted for doping two days before the Tour starts and give Levi the chance he really deserves to lead the team.

BBD

[pdxmech13]

BBdave didn't you here there isn't gonna be a tour this year. Its all goin down with the titanic.

[wasfast]

I agree with pdxmech13, a well written article with some fresh information instead of the same retread of stock material. I hope Levi is able to pull off a great result this year if the whole race isn't cancelled by some "maneuver" of an organization (you all know who you are).

[Elefantino]

Uh ... no mention of Basso in the story. None. Either Dorsey Kindler knows something the rest of us don't, or it's an oversight than the Chron's editors didn't catch. (No surprise there.) The premise ("will his nature put him on the podium at the Tour?") of the story is belied by that omission, although people who don't know cycling wouldn't know any different.

Does anyone, other than Operacion Puerto diehards, think that Leipheimer
is going to be anything but a high-priced lieutenant for Basso?

Nice try, Mr. Kindler. I wouldn't have let it go.

(Aside from that, and on a humorous note, Odessa Gunn calls her husband "Leipheimer"? What's with that?)

[fiamme red]

My favorite line in the article: "She dyed her hair brown to escape the notice of aggressive Spanish men."

[AgilisMerlin]

a roller rider............


+1



http://sfgate.com/c/pictures/2007/02/11/cm_levi_mjm6.jpg


amerliN

[coylifut]

and there appears to be a mtb and a cx bike with disks in the pic too. they make it sound like buying groceries and a couple hours of motor pacing is a tuff job. Didn't anyone else pick up on the 8k calories a day and $400 dollar a week grocery bill. Um, I don't think so.

[Big Dan]

Isn't that white bike the Landshark???

:cool:

[wasfast]

Not if it's recent. I saw the frame for sale at EnSelle in Portland Oregon. Nice frame but man, is it tiny!

[fiamme red]

Isn't that white bike the Landshark???

:cool:Looks like it:

http://www.landsharkbicycles.com/images/Gallery/leipheimer2.jpg

[fiamme red]

Please note that Levi uses a frame pump when he's out training.

I've never understood why a pump peg isn't standard on all road bikes -- assuming that the headtube is long enough to accommodate one. Why would someone get a custom frame without a pump peg, unless the bike is going to be used for racing only?

[dauwhe]

It all seems a little sad to me--the obsession, the austerity, the ceaseless discipline, and the sacrifices made not only by Levi but by his wife.

I remember reading a story about Tyler Hamilton. Chocolate cake was his favorite food, and he hadn't eaten any in months or years. I just can't imagine, both the discipline and the mind set that sees such a small thing as being important. Would one piece of cake really make the difference between winning and losing?

I know it's not my place to question how other people live. In my world, the chocolate cake is more important than the winning. But the article made me sad, nonetheless...

Dave

[fstrthnu]

It all seems a little sad to me--the obsession, the austerity, the ceaseless discipline, and the sacrifices made not only by Levi but by his wife.

I remember reading a story about Tyler Hamilton. Chocolate cake was his favorite food, and he hadn't eaten any in months or years. I just can't imagine, both the discipline and the mind set that sees such a small thing as being important. Would one piece of cake really make the difference between winning and losing?

I know it's not my place to question how other people live. In my world, the chocolate cake is more important than the winning. But the article made me sad, nonetheless...

Dave


I got that feeling too. Having lived it and all it kind of made me feel funny. Taking a break from that life was the best thing I ever did both for my livelihood and racing.

Justin

[iml]

I got that feeling too. Having lived it and all it kind of made me feel funny. Taking a break from that life was the best thing I ever did both for my livelihood and racing.

Justin

I once had a former teammate, another lifer Cat 2 dude who, like me, has a degree and a professional job, get all over me for revealing I'd visited a pizza joint for lunch one day. ***? I've since moved to another team where we ride hard and occasionally drink beer. Bizarro.

Sometimes the cake makes you faster. Sometimes saying no to the cake makes you faster. The decisions have physical and emotional consequences which sometimes work in unexpected or less obvious ways. For me, saying no to the cake 75% of the time works well. I enjoy it when I do have it, but I enjoy the fact that I usually say no more.

[coylifut]

I got that feeling too. Having lived it and all it kind of made me feel funny. Taking a break from that life was the best thing I ever did both for my livelihood and racing.

Justin

I guess I felt uncomfortable revealing how I really felt about it, because I didn't want to come off as judgemental. It must be really frustrating when someone finishes in front of Levi and he knows the guy gives into his desires more often.