Giro stage 14 Campi Bisenzio - Bologna (San Luca), 172km

[Trev_S]

levi's job has always been to drag someone else up the mountain so they can attack.
now, for the first time, it's his turn.
then he goes back to that job for contator.

Nah, not quite.

What about his time with Rabobank & Gerolsteiner.
It was only when he went back to Disco (was at USPS before Rabobank) & then Astana that he ended up back in a position of riding for a stronger team mate in a grand tour. He has done other races as the number 1 on the Disco & Astana teams so it's not as if he gets confused and doesn't know how to ride as the supported rider.

 

[Parrot23]

Impressed when Menchov dropped di Luca on mountain top finish other day. DDL not pleased, you could see, i.e. Menchov beat him at his very own forte--and has beaten Levi at his own forte, the TT.

Hoodwinked both at their own game, so far.... I'd say Menchov is impressive/tested all round. The only thing he hasn't done is win a sprint finish, I'd say. As long as he doesn't start sprinting like Haussler has this year, I'll be happy.

Horner was impressed with Menchov's surge/anaerobic output at that finish (versus such an explosive guy as DDL).

Levi could do with what Riis did for Tyler Hamilton, turn his diesel engine into a turbocharged one (doping issues aside, LOL).

 

[BroDeal]

i just take issue with way he put it.
" I have never once seen Leipheimer attack" seemed like an insult.
i hope astana sees it that way too.

Don't get Leipheimer angry. Instead of riding twenty centimeters from the leader's rear wheel, he might attack and ride ten centimeters behind.

 

[Parrot23]

Don't get Leipheimer angry. Instead of riding twenty centimeters from the leader's rear wheel, he might attack and ride ten centimeters behind.

LOL

I was impressed by Contador at Paris-Nice this year. Sure he made mistakes, but he was prepared to go for broke and make things happen, and is not scared to lose. He basically says this outright in the latest issue of Procycling.

Time for Levi to become "Cav"alier, and bit offensive like Lance. Needs to learn from Lance's outlaw biker-type attitude of don't mess with me. As one poster here said, "it's time to de-suck".

 

[Anonymous]

Don't get Leipheimer angry. Instead of riding twenty centimeters from the leader's rear wheel, he might attack and ride ten centimeters behind.

oh... that's so.. Brilliant... sarcasm i think that's called. What a wit to go with your other great geniuses. I’ll bet your friends and family just hang on your every witticism.
I’m so glad you took the time to graces us with your insightful humor.
I just can’t wait to see you come up with next.
Give me a minute, I’ll post something else you can sink your juvenile teeth into.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

We'll have to see on longer climbs, Levi and Basso for sure are not good on steep 2 km climbs.

They also lost time on the only long climb so far worth mentioning, the Alpe di Siusi.
And if they are counting on Monte Petrano and Blockhaus and Vesuvius, those climbs are not the real long hard climbs either. This Giro is very much suited for a man of the middle mountains like Di Luca...

 

[craig1985]

Armstrong carrying bottles......Well I never..........

Notice how his team mates grabbed the bottles instead of LA just passing it to them?

 

[Anonymous]

Nah, not quite.

What about his time with Rabobank & Gerolsteiner.
It was only when he went back to Disco (was at USPS before Rabobank) & then Astana that he ended up back in a position of riding for a stronger team mate in a grand tour. He has done other races as the number 1 on the Disco & Astana teams so it's not as if he gets confused and doesn't know how to ride as the supported rider.

yes, i know he's won races as a number one. like the tour of california 3 times in a row, the dauphine, ect.
no.. i didn't think he'd get confused.. lol
i'll defer to someone who might know who was number one, in the tour, for robobank and Gerolsteiner (Georg Totschnig?).
it's the grand tours i'm talking about.


for the last 2 years he's been the last man standing in support of AC. and he's done it brilliantly.

i guess the problem was when i said he "always" rode support. he hadn't always over all his teams but he's been the main man for AC at all three grand tours.

and now he has a chance to win one for himself, with a very good team. one big chance to win before he goes back to working for AC.

even if it's only a podium, he becomes the first american to podium all three gran tours.

this is why i root for him, you know, other than i just plain like and respect the man.

jack

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I was impressed by Contador at Paris-Nice this year. Sure he made mistakes, but he was prepared to go for broke and make things happen, and is not scared to lose. He basically says this outright in the latest issue of Procycling.

Time for Levi to become "Cav"alier, and bit offensive like Lance.

Completely agree with the AC part. Levi is at a now or never time. And if he'd rather finish 10th than 2nd, he's going to have to ride like Hinault and go for it, shatter the peloton with early and repeated attacks, and if he ends up blowing up in the process, so be it, at least he gave it his all.

I don't recall Lance riding like that though in years, if ever. In all of his Tour wins he'd take an early lead, then just follow the Postal train to the last few k of each climb and inch further and further away. He suffered mightily to win Luz Ardiden in 2003 when he desperately needed to, and well, that's about all I can recall.

Levi has a chance to win one for himself, with a very good team. one big chance to win before he goes back to working for AC.

even if it's only a podium, he becomes the first american to podium all three gran tours.

I'd rather see him go for it and try to win the Giro and give Andy Hampsten some company. And if he loses, at least leave it all on the road. To see him safely following the right wheels, and end up only on the podium again at this point in his career where this may be his last chance at a GT win would be disappointing I think.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Levi is sending out mixed messages.
In one quote he says if he feels good, he'll attack.
In another, the angry (blowhard?) response to Di Luca suggesting negativity, he said, he'll be happy to be 6" behind DDL, come the Rome ITT.

Sounds to me, like the usual, wait and see, follow the wheel, approach.

Well, that might get him past DDL in the GC, but he's never going to gain 44" on Menchov.
That's assuming he can follow for a week.

The attacking option is limited, with no other Astana rider a major GC threat.
So, I guess it's down to him and maybe Lance.
I wonder how much effort LA's prepared to make, for somebody else to have a shot at a GT?

 

[St. Elia]

Mellow, I think your misquoting a bit, or maybe I'm understanding it a bit different. I think what he meant about going into the last time trial 6 seconds back is that he would feel comfortable with that sort of gap as he could make up that amount of time on DDL in 14 km, that is the way I took it.

He has also stated that he will have to attack, but when is the question. For sure it doesn't make sense for him to tell everyone when and where does it? One thing is for sure he needs to take 40 sec out of Menchov as I don't think he can do that in the ITT.


I do think LPR really F'ed themselves yesterday, too much effort before the big day on Monday, it didn't make sense at all to drive the team into the ground like that.

 

[Leopejo]

I do think LPR really F'ed themselves yesterday, too much effort before the big day on Monday, it didn't make sense at all to drive the team into the ground like that.

Maybe so. But will they be needed today or tomorrow? Time will tell.

 

[Mellow Velo]

St: That's what I meant.
I think Levi thinks DDL with attack Menchov, so all he has to do is stay with DDL and hope Menchov is dropped.
Then, all he has to do, is take 7" back in Rome.

However, I'm not sure that Dennis is just going to sit on DDL's wheel all week.