Levi beats Lance

[OnceFast]

My French is rusty, but it looks like Levi beat Lance for second in the TT today. Shame he only lost to Botero by one second.

[maccpres]

He beat him on Brasstown Bald in the tour of GA too.

[alembical]

USA is having quite a showing in the Dauphiné Libéré ....

General classification after stage 3

1 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 11.11.20
2 Santiago Botero (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.12
3 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.30
4 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.42
5 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.09

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/jun05/dauphinelibere05/?id=results/dauphinelibere053

Provisional
1 Santiago Botero (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.00.06.55 (46.915 km/h)
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Gerolsteiner 0.01
3 Lance Armstrong (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 0.26
4 Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 0.39
5 Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz) T-Mobile Team 1.00
6 Oscar Pereiro (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 1.09
7 George Hincapie (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.11
8 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Fassa Bortolo 1.14
9 Ivan Gutierrez (Spa) Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne 1.16
10 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner 1.19

[weisan]

So Jerk-pal, what's Santiago been up to these days?

[weisan]

Check out LA's latest TT position in the Dauphiné
http://www.velonews.com/images/int/8176.11370.f.jpg - Velonews

[DreaminJohn]

If the current results hold, does this mean Botero will lead Phonak? Or is Floyd the Man?

Either way, I think Botero's a good story.

[Dr. Doofus]

1) Its Lance and Jan in July. Remember last year?

2) Phonak won't make the podium. Botero has never made it through a Tour without losing 10 minutes in one day, and Landis will end up somewhere between 8-15 on the overall.

3) Hincapie will perform the Tyler/Floyd role. Set the marks in the TT, be the last man before Azevedo in the mountains...for a guy who also managed 2nd at Roubaix...the American Hennie Kuiper?

4) This is as good as Levi gets. Won't be top-5 at the Tour.

5) With all the griping the guy who looks like the Doof does about the crappy state of U23 and juniors in the US, the growing Pro scene looks like it will continue top feed good riders into the top level of the sport...look at what a race Philly is, compared to 10, or even just 5, years ago. Enough US all-pro teams to fill out a field, with some Euros thrown in (and many of them outclassed). Not like when Saab-O-Killer did that race....

[alembical]

side Lance Note or rather question.....I thought that I had heard that Sheryl and him were over, but velonews had pictures of her in the team car. Anyone know? Anyone really care?

Alembical

[Climb01742]

two ways to revive your career:

1. short route: join CSC or...

2. long route: join telekom, suck for two years, leave, then be resurrected.

[BarryG]

CamelBak under his jersey?

[BigDaddySmooth]

Botero has a strange tendency to win a mountain stage one day and then lose 15 minutes on the next. Floyd won't win byt he won't lose a ton of time either.

I'm really impressed w/Leipheimer. Have you seen his legs? They're shred more than Armstrong's. Maybe 2 Americans will be on the podium in July. I'm still a big JU fan and I think he really is the only one who can defeat LA one-on-one. It would really be nice to see 4-5 guys really go at it but that'll never happen. The GT always come down to 2 guys.

Basso? Maybe top 5 this year. Kloden will be outside top 10. One hit wonder. Mayo may also make it top 5 but right now I see it as LA, JU, Leipheimer, Basso and Landis or Mayo as my top picks. Course, there always seems to be the unknown wildcard (Vino in '03 and Kloden last year).

[jerk]

the jerk told you botero was back.

(so much for gerosteiner riding specialized tt bikes....for all that talk looks like levi is on his walser.)

jerk

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . There was a brief in the latest Velo News that Jan The Man has split with Gaby, his SO for the past 9 years. They just had a daughter last year.

I think both Lance and Jan really, REALLY want it this year at the Tour. Lance sees it as a "Must-Go-Out-On-Top" type deal and for Jan it is his very last chance to win the Tour not just to win, but to also BEAT LANCE.

Regardless of everyone else's performances, I think this is going to be a great Tour.

BBDave

[93legendti]

1) Its Lance and Jan in July. Remember last year?

2) Phonak won't make the podium. Botero has never made it through a Tour without losing 10 minutes in one day, and Landis will end up somewhere between 8-15 on the overall.

3) Hincapie will perform the Tyler/Floyd role. Set the marks in the TT, be the last man before Azevedo in the mountains...for a guy who also managed 2nd at Roubaix...the American Hennie Kuiper?

4) This is as good as Levi gets. Won't be top-5 at the Tour.

5) With all the griping the guy who looks like the Doof does about the crappy state of U23 and juniors in the US, the growing Pro scene looks like it will continue top feed good riders into the top level of the sport...look at what a race Philly is, compared to 10, or even just 5, years ago. Enough US all-pro teams to fill out a field, with some Euros thrown in (and many of them outclassed). Not like when Saab-O-Killer did that race....

Yeah, what Doofus said... :)

[TimD]

CamelBak under his jersey?

Looking at this for a minute, my guess is that yes, Lance is wearing something under his jersey. It might be a hydration device. The shape of whatever-it-is is probably no accident; notice how it reduces (at least in this plan view) the discontinuity between the back of Lance's helmet and his back. This is probably providing a reduction in aerodynamic drag, by reducing the size of the low-pressure area immediately behind his head... but I'm speculating here.

TimD

[slowgoing]

I think it's just his back.

[Keith A]

I think it's just his back.
I'm with slowgoing on this one, I have seen a number of the side shots of LA on his TT machine and he usually has a humped back.

[weisan]

That's what I am goshing about...the back. It's getting "worse and worse" every year....sorta like mine. :D

[JohnS]

It has to be a hydration system. The TT was an hour long.

[PaulE]

I once read in one of the Carmichael/Armstrong training books that Lance is more powerful and/or comfortable in this humpback position, so they go with it instead of a more aerodynamic position. Sometimes you have to go with what works for you, instead of what is theoretically better. Anyway, that's what I read somewhere, but who knows. I also read somewhere in this forum something to the effect that Carmichael was Lance's coach only for marketing purposes.

[gasman]

the size of the low-pressure area immediately behind his head... but I'm speculating here.

TimD

I think I have a low pressure system behind my head from living in Oregon for so long. :p

[saab2000]

Doofus is right. When Saab-o-killer did that race it was not a joke,but it was nothing like it is now. Its turning into a real race. But there are still lots o pretender pretty boys at the start. There were maybe 120-150 guys in the race and maybe 50 finished. I watched from the sidelines as Michel Zanoli beat Davis Phinney. Not finishing that race was something of a letdown (cuz I was capable of finishing) but at that point in my racing career I was so apathetic that it just didn't matter anymore. Went back to Switzerland and enjoyed that scene for a few more years. Anyway........

Mr. Dr. Doofus is a pretty good observer of the scene in Euroland and he is mostly right. But Botero could slay all if he got it together.

Lance will be ready in July. This is just testing. All the words about his not having the snap of his younger days is just pure crap. If he wanted he could own the Tour as long as he is willing to pay the price mentally. But even for him that is tough.

But I would not be surprised if Ullrich finally provides a worthy opponent and maybe beats Lance.

[Dr. Doofus]

[QUOTE=saab2000] But Botero could slay all if he got it together.
[QUOTE]

and there's the rub

our limitations are extensions of our abilities...doof sees this in himself...sure, he can "get" Levinas or Henry James, but he can't get using a plumb bob and a level to setup two bikes identically, and his agonistics in one area simply result in his agonizing in another. Doof also sees it in his students....after a while, you see where you can take a kid, where you might take a kid, and where you never will take a kid, and why....

Botero won't "get it together," not for three weeks.

The skills of professional athletes are defined within an incredibly narrow range -- because being a specialist is what got the contract to begin with, whether its as a rebounding and defense power forward, a power-hitting third baseman, or a mercurial stage racer. Growth is, more often than not, simply learning how to develop and use that specialization against the highest level of competition -- its not a matter of evolving into something that you haven't been for the first seven years of your career, unless you are an unusually gifted and determined athlete (jalabert...dwight evans...eckersley...armstrong).

Doof may eat his words, but Botero looks like a killer week-long racer who will be good for some thrills in the Tour, but won't be a factor for the top spot...we've seen him long enough....

[BBB]

The skills of professional athletes are defined within an incredibly narrow range -- because being a specialist is what got the contract to begin with, whether its as a rebounding and defenese power forward, a power-hitting third baseman, or a mercurial stage racer. Growth is, more often than not, simply learning how to develop and use that specialization against the highest level of competition -- its not a matter of evolving into something that you haven't been for the first seven years of your career, unless you are an unusually gifted and determined athlete (jalabert...dwight evans...eckersley...armstrong).

I do not disagree in general terms, but lets remember unusal gifts and determination were not the prime reason Armstrong became a TdF contender in the first place. Without cancer to dramatically change his body, the natural gifts and determination (which he has plenty of) would not have transformed a top classics and one week tour rider into a six time TdF winner.

This aside, I agree, if Botero remains on form for the TdF, then he should ride well, but not consistently day after day for the entire race.

[Climb01742]

given a certain (extraordinary) level of talent, it seems the crucial element in winning the tour is consistency. one bad day and you're toast. big mig and lance have an amazing ability (both physical and mental) to dose their efforts over 3 weeks, and somehow on even their worst days, minimize their losses, so they lose seconds, not minutes.

tony rominger was a huge personal fav of mine. but against big mig he ALWAYS had a bad day in the tour. he kicked *ss in spain, but not in france in july.

botero, levi, mayo, tyler and even jan...always have at least one bad day.

[Onno]

I'm less struck by the hump in the back than in the fact that Lance's knees look like they hit his elbows. How and why does he get so scrunched up? It looks awfully uncomfortable.

Perhaps the weird position is partly the effect of a still photo taken at a moment when he's stretching or moving around on the bike? I do this all the time, curl my back to stretch the lower part of my back, holding the curl for a few seconds as I ride. The few other photos I looked at yesterday didn't have him looking quite so weird on the bike.

Onno