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Armstrong and team take to Sonoma County roads
Lance Armstrong, left in yellow and black and Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer head up King Ridge Road near Cazadero on a training ride, Wednesday February 3, 2009.
Kent Porter / The Press DemocratPublished: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 11:53 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 at 11:47 p.m.
The return of Lance Armstrong has changed just about everything in the world of cycling.
On Wednesday, for example, Santa Rosa’s Levi Leipheimer was asked this seemingly inane question: Would he be the lead rider for his own team at the upcoming Tour of California, the very race Leipheimer is attempting to win for the third consecutive year?
“Well, you know, I’ve won the race the last two years so there’s really no question that I’m a favorite of the race,” Leipheimer said. “There are other riders who can win and you never know what can happen in a race ... But I will have every chance and every bit of support of the team to win again.”
If Leipheimer, 35, seemed mildly amused by the question, the subtext of the query was obvious. A certain 37-year-old with seven Tour de France titles happens to be Leipheimer’s teammate on Team Astana. And the world isn’t accustomed to seeing Lance Armstrong take a back seat to anyone.
Leipheimer spoke Wednesday afternoon at a news conference at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek hotel in Santa Rosa after taking Armstrong and his teammates on a majestic 107-mile, six-hour training ride through Sonoma County. Team Astana is training in Santa Rosa until Feb.10 before eight members head to Sacramento for the prologue of the 750-mile Tour of California, which runs from Feb. 14-22.
Armstrong did not attend Wednesday’s news conference and is not scheduled to speak to the media until Feb.12 in Sacramento. But Armstrong was a popular topic of conversation as he prepares for his first race in America after a 3½-year retirement.
Alberto Contador, 26, the 2007 Tour de France champion, is attending Astana’s training camp, but will not race in the TOC. When Armstrong announced his comeback plans in September, Contador wasn’t thrilled by the news.
On Wednesday, Contador said his initial reaction “wasn’t very good.” But speaking through a translator, the Spanish star explained that time has altered his perspective.
“Now I’m very happy to share a team with Lance,” he said. “I think you have to think things over, see how things develop. Sometimes in the beginning some things seem negative, but turn into something positive. I’m certainly very happy that he’s on my team and not on another team. And to be able to learn from his great spirit, that can only make me stronger in the future.”
It’s quite possible that Armstrong and Contador won’t race together until the Tour de France in July and the question of who will be Astana’s leader at cycling’s biggest race is already percolating.
Such discussions rarely mention Leipheimer, who is just two years removed from a career-best third-place finish at the Tour. Leipheimer acknowledged that the Tour is the biggest event of his season, but he’s prepared to assume a supporting role if necessary.
“Certainly a goal of mine is to be a good teammate and possibly get a result for myself,” Leipheimer said. “But (my goal is to) just be the best I can be in July.”
Leipheimer figures to be Astana’s best in February at the TOC, a race that will include stars such as former Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso, 2005 world champion Tom Boonen and Floyd Landis, who will be making his return to cycling after being stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for a positive drug test.
Leipheimer said Armstrong could also be a factor at the TOC after making his return at the Tour Down Under last month in Adelaide, Australia. Armstrong placed 29th among 122 finishers.
“Whether he’s at his best (at the TOC), I doubt it,” Leipheimer said. “I think he’s still going to improve, but that’s normal. In his head he’s thinking that way as well. He’s using these races to back into it.”
Due to his familiarity with Sonoma County, Leipheimer is outlining the daily training rides for Astana, a team with 27 riders from nine countries. Leipheimer said the response has been so enthusiastic that he is optimistic the team will return for future training camps.
“It was special,” Astana’s Jani Brajkovic of Slovenia said of Wednesday’s route that wound through Cazadero and Jenner and included a climb up Coleman Valley Road. “It was really hard up and down all day, but we got some beautiful views. This doesn’t really remind me of anywhere else I’ve ridden. It’s really special. I’d like to come back for sure.”
In addition to planning the team’s training routes, Leipheimer is also working to keep himself healthy. Leipheimer’s wife, Odessa Gunn, has pneumonia.
That means Leipheimer might be spending more time bonding with his teammates than he anticipated.
“We have been quarantined,” Leipheimer said. “She’s been sleeping downstairs and I’ve been sleeping upstairs. It’s no fun. But with the camp going on, I guess it’s just a chance for me to sleep here.”
You can reach Staff Writer Eric Branch at 521-5268 or eric.branch@pressdemocrat.com.
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