The Amgen Tour of California

We are midway through the 2009 Tour of California and I’m hoping things shake up today and tomorrow as they ride into the Sierra mountains. Why? Because Levi Leipheimer is leading. I’ll explain, but first let me give you a few reasons to watch this race (that is, if you have Versus and can stay up until 11 pm – once the NHL and Bull Riding telecasts are over).

1. The Tour of Georgia was cancelled this year because it couldn’t find a title sponsor. The Tour of California is the only major stage race in the US.

2. Have you seen the team rosters? They are loaded with talent, both American and European. Each of these teams, save for one or two I think, will be riding in the Tour de France. So the quality is there.

3. Guess whose back? The Operation Puerto guys!! All the guys, most notably Ivan Basso, have served their two year suspensions and are racing again. Speaking of which…

4. Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton are back after their two year bans. Tyler is racing for US-based Rock Racing, which is a new team that has an interesting vibe. They sport an anarchy symbol on their jerseys and team car, which happens to be a Cadillac. I’m not crazy about either guy, but they are old postal riders who jumped ship early in the game to lead their own teams. Both failed, and whether it was due to injury or testing positive for EPO or testosterone, I’ll let you decide. But it’s interesting to me to have these guys back in the mix.

5. There are some other shakeups in the cycling scene as well this year, which are on full display in this race: Cancellara and the Schleck brothers on the Saxo Bank team (Fabian dropped day two with illness); a stacked Astana team proving to be the premiere stage race team (and that’s with Contador not riding); new faces and upgrades on US-based Columbia and Garmin-Slipstream teams; Tom Boonen and Quickstep; Sastre and Thor Hurshovd on Cervelo; etc. Check out the rosters here.

6. And of course, Lance is back. He’s preaching his message of cancer survival at every stop and is pulling and working for Levi as he promised. He calls himself an old man and seems to have no desire to drive his competitors into the ground. However, he is 30 seconds or so off the lead, and seems to always be in the right place with the right group, and he’s shown flashes of power that prove he’s still got something in the legs. Will he be able to sit back in the mountains and bring water bottles to Levi? Maybe, but I hope not. Regardless, it certainly won’t happen in France.

And here’s the thing with Levi. He’s not a team leader and, in my opinion, has gotten very lucky to be in this position. Yes, he’s talented. He rode for postal and was great – he was an all star domestique. When he went to his own team, his stock dropped and he proved he didn’t have what it takes to win a grand Tour. Maybe he didn’t have a strong team, but maybe his teammates didn’t want to ride for him. What European rider wants to ride for an American with no chance? Levi sucks wheels and lacks any explosiveness. He sits back and follows guys up the mountain. He is a lock for a top 10 Tour de France finish, but cannot win, regardless of team. He hangs on by a thread, then ekes out a good time trial to jump a few spots.

Hey, that’s fine with me, but don’t position yourself as a great rider. He tried to sneak past Contador a few years ago and they were on the same team. He never pulled for him (because he couldn’t), and Contador finally had to take off and do his thing. Thankfully, Levi was so slow in the mountains, he couldn’t sneak past him in the time trial, but he almost did. And while this was happening, he complained to the media that he was supposed to be the team leader. Boo hoo. Again, same team and he offered zero help to a more talented rider. He gave Basso a rather lukewarm reception when he joined Disco a few years ago, and again with Lance this year. Having Lance pull for this guy is a travesty.

And where are the style points? How can anyone be inspired by this dude when it’s like watching paint dry. Boring rider with a seeming disrespect for the great riders and strong sense of entitlement. Listen to the guy’s interviews. Read his quotes. Watch him ride. You tell me if he’s a good leader for a team. Astana will give Levi this race because it’s meaningless on the grand scale, but come Giro and Tour time, he’s going to be told the deal, and I can already hear him pouting to the media and complaining. Mark my words. And the cherry on top – his seat is too low!!!