Levi wins Amgen Tour of California

So Levi Leipheimer of team Astana won the Amgen Tour of California, his third straight. I wrote in an earlier post that I thought Levi wasn't a good team leader and was lucky to be in that position. I still feel the same. I really can't argue that he's not a cycling talent, he's just not the talent he seems to think he is.

His demeanor, his interviews - it all feels like he's trying to be the next Lance, and it comes off really contrived. Like when he held up three fingers as he crossed the finish line in the final time trial on Saturday (and again on the podium). I mean come on, that image of Lance holding up his fingers to represent the number of Tour wins he had is iconic. To rip that off as you cross the finish line of the Tour of California is weak. Settle down Levi. It's contrived, it's a blatant Lance ripoff, and it's a small race. Do something in the Tour de France and you'll make me a believer.

Honestly, he sort of reminds me of Danica Patrick, but that's a whole other story.

Other thoughts from the race
Team Astana is very, very strong. With Contador in the lineup, they will be a force. Team director Johan Bruyneel has his hands full though. He's got big egos and loads of talent to direct. I don't see Contador riding for anyone, and he's said as much. Lance might give him the nod if the reality of his age is too much to overcome, but that is yet to be seen. And Levi is going to be another issue. Very interesting team dynamics.

Floyd Landis of the Ouch team looked fairly solid after spending two years away from racing. He showed flashes of great form, but never could keep up with the lead group at the end of the day.

American teams Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia Highroad looked really strong. Dave Zabriskie (Slipstream) took second overall, while Michael Rogers (Columbia) took third. And Mark Cavendish is officially the best sprinter in all of cycling at the moment. He's a lock to win several sprint stages in any race.

And it's great of course to see Hincapie still doing his thing, riding strong in every stage, and even placing third in the final stage.

All in all it was a fun race to watch and it seemed to generate lots of fan support. Huge crowds, in fact, record crowds at Sunday's finish in San Diego. That's good news for American cycling.

This is the country's biggest stage race, but not the only one. I called it the only major stage race in an earlier post and was corrected. The Tour of Missouri is in its third year. Last year, American Christian Vande Valde of Garmin won.

I'm not sure which Pro teams this race attracts, or if it's televised, but this year's race is September 7-13. Check out the official Tour of Missouri website for all the details.