What did we learn from Tour of California

The Tour of California is in the books and Levi Leipheimer, as expected, came away the winner. I have to give him his due, he really dominated that race. And his team was too strong for anyone else to really challenge. I feel like there was a time when Levi was seen as another great American cyclist and one who maybe could fill the void when Lance Armstrong left. But then he never really matched Armstrong's dominance. Still, he's had a very successful couple of years and I think in my mind I've never really appreciated what he's done. Here's some highlights from his career.

• Vuelta a Espana on the podium - twice (3rd and 2nd)
• Tour de France top 10's - three times
• Tour de France podium - once (3rd)
• Dauphine Libere - winner once and podium once (3rd)
• Bronze medal at Olympics
• Tour of California - winner three times

Not a bad body of work. I'll be curious to see what Levi has left in the tank for the rest of the season. I believe he's riding in the Giro d'talia and Tour de France, but that will be in a support role for Armstrong and Alberto Contador. However, I always wonder how much "support" Levi is willing to give. Last year in Spain it looked like he was downright gunning for Contador at some points. And perhaps rightly so, I remember reading that without time bonuses Levi would have only been a few seconds down from Contador when all was said and done. So congrats to Levi.

Lance is just scary
So Armstrong really did work his tail off all week. He was front and center leading the chase on that miserable rainy day when Mancebo rode away from the field (as well as many other days when Astana needed to chase). And yet he still finished seventh place. I'm pretty impressed. You can say maybe not many of the other top talents were trying that hard, but he probably wasn't either. So will he be able to turn back time and win the Giro d'Talia? I'd say there's a good chance. He'll probably have the best team working for him and he's got that killer gene that most guys need to be the best. Still, all his time working on cancer awareness and his advancing age might be too much to overcome.

Also, if you've seen the photos of Armstrong's run in with a costumed fan you'll probably want to watch the video.


Sprinting for second place
Now, Mark Cavendish doesn't win every sprint. Just the ones where he's allowed to sprint at max speed without anyone in his way. Yes, finding an opening is a big part of sprinting but Killer Cav (or Cutie Cav as my girlfriend has been calling him) takes a lot of the uncertainty out of those crazy bunch sprints. Just ask him.

"With a flat run in like that there was only one possible outcome, especially when you've got a team like mine," said Cavendish. "When they dropped me off with 100 metres to go there could only be one outcome."

That was his view after winning stage four, which he himself said he thought he'd have no shot at due to the climbs before the finish. I think if he stays healthy he will be winning his first green jersey at the Tour de France this year. His team has become one of the best at setting him up for the finish and he just seems to have a gear that no one else can match right now. And I'm not sure whether HighRoad has a realistic shot at winning the yellow. Kim Kirchen is now out with an injury. Mick Rogers performed well in the Tour of California but I wonder if the allure of racking up a bunch of stage wings with Cav will be too strong for the team to really work for the overall jersey. The Tour of California cemented my view that this could be one of the best years in a while for cycling (unless we end up losing a bunch more guys to Puerto).

Jerseys!

My buddy Elfrink hit me with a link to the uniwatch blog the other day that was on the topic of classic cycling jerseys. It had lots of great links so check them out. I sent him links to some of my favorite jerseys and thought I'd share them here as well.

Elfrink liked the Salvarani jersey and I informed him you can get an updated wool version for only $138.

My favorite classic jersey is probably the team Cinzano jersey

My current favorite pro team jersey is of course Garmin Slipstream
But only if you also get the Garmin arm warmers to match. I really wish Iverson would come out with one of those suckers on for a Pistons game. Just once!

My favorite freaky jersey is this bad boy

My favorite beer jersey

The one jersey if I were every going to treat myself and get a cool one
Unfortunately I don't think they make it any more.

And maybe just my all time favorite jersey right now
It says I'm classy, but I also like to party.

Breaking radio silence

I've missed posting the past few days but I've been trying to watch the Tour of California. I have to say the Versus coverage has been disappointing. First of all, they still don't have coverage in HD. Then you've got the weather messing up the video feed for some of the best parts of the race. And finally you had Versus cutting off before the finish yesterday to go to a hockey game. Now, I love hockey, but that was pretty bad. This is all unfortunate since despite the terrible weather there has been some great racing so far.

Levi's not who we thought he was

Leipheimer's attack on stage 2 was pretty shocking for me. I've always thought of Levi as a vanilla kind of guy, similar to Cadel Evans. He can climb well enough to make it hard to drop him and he can time trial with the best of them. Those skills can lead to great results and victories, but they don't make for the most exciting racing. I can't help it, I love mountain top finishes. So I was happy to see Levi really go for it on stage 2. It's clear that he wants this victory and that he also realizes if he falters his team is so deep they have plenty of options to go to. With teammates Lance Armstrong in fourth place and Chris Horner in fifth place it's clear Levi knows he has to deliver. He even said there's no choice but to come through when you've got someone like Lance working for you and riding up front in the rain. Lots of big guns are still in the mix (Mic Rogers, Dave Za), which should make the time trial on stage six all the more interesting.

Hey, remember me!

It was good to see Thor Hushovd win yesterday. Over the past year I don't want to say I forgot about him, but Boonen was grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons, Cavendish was exploding on the scene and you had Oscar Freire and Daniele Bennati winning a ton of big stages in between. But Hushovd has won his share of stages and sprint jerseys. If he's back in the mix of things we really good see some amazing sprint finishes this year.

Spartacus

Fabian Cancellara sure is good in the time trial and he proved it once again yesterday. When he's on no one can top him in the time trial. And he looked pretty on. The short prologue didn't really reveal too much since it was so short, but there were a few things I noticed.

1) Levi wants this one bad. Did you see him practically foaming at the mouth right before starting? The guy was so psyched up and huffing and puffing I thought he might pass out and fall off the edge of that little starting ramp. All in all, he still seems like the favorite to win to me (not something I'm used to thinking when it comes to Leipheimer).

2) Lance Armstrong got 10th in a race he keeps saying he's not trying to win. Yep, 10th. Now I know there's a difference between getting 10th to start the year in California and getting 10th at the Tour or Giro (where guys have focused their whole year around that one day). But still, 10th. Wow. Maybe it was that fancy ride of his (that got stolen!).

3) While you can't win the ToC on the first day, you might be able to lose it. Floyd Landis came in tied for 89th out of 132 riders and put himself in an almost 20 second hole. Less than impressive. Tyler Hamilton only did a few seconds better but had already said he's pretty much not trying to win the general classification. Kim Kirchen of Columbia Highroad finished in the 50s, but teammates George Hincapie and Michael Rogers are right there in the mix. I have a feeling Rogers is going to be strong this week.

4) What's with all the life stories and attempts at comedy in the race coverage when the riders have already started? I get that Versus wants to set up all the story lines, but when you've only got two hours on TV can't you cut that stuff down to half an hour instead of an hour? And why were the announcers talking about Landis winning the Tour de France and his dramatic comeback without mentioning that he failed a dope test on the very day of that dramatic comeback and had been stripped of that Tour de France victory? It's just weird. I mean they said Christian Vande Velde finished fourth at the Tour de France last year (because Bernie Kohl who finished fourth later got busted for doping at the tour).

And when they did mention Landis' doping history they said he was banned for "suspected doping." Suspected? I thought once the B sample confirmed a positive test from the A sample you were no longer suspected of doping but were instead busted for doping. Now, I get that Landis is really likable and has spent millions trying to discredit the results of the dope test and anti-doping process. And after reading his book and Lance Armstrong's War I can't help but root for him a little myself. But lets not just whitewash his past. I'm not saying Landis has to come clean and talk to reporters every day and have HBO sports profile him like David Millar, but the commentators shouldn't gloss over things if they're going to talk about his performance at the 2006 Tour de France.

Now I don't favor a lifetime ban on dopers. I feel like two years is probably just about the right amount of time. If you get caught when you're old and should have known better, it ends your career. If you get caught when you were young and stupid, it probably takes away two of your best years but does allow for a second chance. I've done really stupid things in my life and I like second chances. I think we'll never know the real story about Landis. I do think he cheated, but I think things are not so black and white and that there was more to it than that.

The last of the big dogs

I've mentioned Astana, I've discussed a trio riders looking for a return to glory this year. Now it's time to go over the last main threats of the Tour of California. I believe the race will be won by someone who can dominate in the time trial and protect that lead through the climbs. No stages at the ToC end with a climb and the top sprinters in the world are coming (Mark Cavendish, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, Thor Hushovd and J.J. Haedo are the headliners). Those sprinters will have motivated teams hoping to keep everything together for a bunch sprint finish to give their big guns the chance to win. So it could be hard to make up any time on rivals outside of the time trial. And as always motivation and timing are huge factors.

Saxo Bank
This team won cycling's grandest prize last year with Carlos Sastre at the Tour de France. But Sastre took off for start up team Cervelo. Still, I have a feeling Saxo Bank isn't too worried about it's season. Sastre's win was very much a team win at the Tour de France. They used their depth to ride at the front of the pack and set a blistering pace that blew apart the field. By the end of the big climbs there were only a handful of guys who could keep up and the team launched attack after attack with different riders until Sastre was able to break free, making up enough time to win the yellow jersey. Sastre is gone, but that depth remains.

My belief that the time trial will be key discounts Frank and Andy Schleck. Both showed they are among the best in the mountains but until they make gains in the race of truth I don't see them winning the tour of California. Fabian Cancellara on the other hand is a killer in the time trial (Yep, that was him winning the gold medal in China). And the man they call Spartacus just might be able to do enough in the mountains to hold on to the jersey if he takes it in the time trial. A dark horse on Saxo Bank is American Jason McCartney. He finished third in the 2007 ToC and is not afraid of a good climb.

Garmin Slipstream
The American team in the trademark argyle would love to win this race. They'll go all out and like Astana, Saxo Bank and Columbia Highroad they're bringing the big guns. This team is chock full of guys great in the time trial. Christian Vande Velde shocked everyone (even himself) with his fifth place finish at the Tour de France last year. His strong time trials and ability to limit his losses in the climbs were the main reasons for his success. When you read or hear Vande Velde's interviews you realize how huge last year was for him. After years of being the bottle fetcher he was the team captain. He clearly was not sure if he belonged in that role, but after seeing that he was just as strong as the other team captains on the Hautacam stage last year he turned into a believer. In 2008, Vande Velde came in third at the Tour of California and also won the Tour of Missouri (where he says he had intended to just ride in a support role before he accidentally won it). I think Vande Velde would enjoy winning the ToC, but he's clearly focused on the Tour de France so I'm not sure what his form will be for this race.

And if Vande Velde is not ready to go I bet Tom Danielson will be. As I mentioned before, this guy has been off my radar but has had some very solid results. He claims to have cut down on drag by working on his time trial position in the wind tunnel. If he does really well in the time trial, he could end up being the team leader.

And you can't talk about the time trial without mentioning U.S. time trial champion Dave Zabriskie. Like Tyler Hamilton, he'll get to wear a fancy red, white and blue jersey (only his is more like a time trial skin suit). Zabriskie had a terrible crash last year in the Giro d'talia, throwing off his season. This was a big blow to the Garmins. Hopefully he stays healthy this year. Before crashing out Zabriskie talked about how he'd been a good climber in his early days and somehow gotten away from that and how he hoped he could get back to being respectable on the mountains. I'll be looking forward to seeing him back on the bike.

Columbia Highroad
The former T-Mobile team now under American ownership will be going all out to win as much as possible at the ToC. Some teams like to wait for the right chance to take the leader's jersey but I have a feeling the Highroads might actually want to win every single stage of this race (and with the squad they're bringing, they just might be able to do it!). For the sprint finishes they have Mark Cavendish. This guy seems to be able to do no wrong when it comes down to a sprint. And for the rest of the race their options are deep. They've got American George Hincapie who is a strong time-trialist and can dig deep in the climbs. Big George (or Good ol' George as my girlfriend likes to call him) says he wants at least a stage win in California, if not more.

Michael Rogers is back after injuries limited him last year and he showed strong form in the Tour Down Under. I have a good feeling he's going to be in the mix for the leader's jersey. And if all else fails the Highroads can turn to Kim Kirchen. At one point Kirchen held on to both the sprint jersey and the leader's jersey at the Tour de France last year. He had great performances in the time trial, proved he could finish stages strong and might have enough to hang on when the road turns upward in California.

Closing thoughts
I'm sure there are great cyclists I have not mentioned who will have a great week in California. There's just too much talent to keep track of. I'm hoping the race lives up to the star power in attendance. I really do think several teams will be gunning hard for glory and not just showing up for "training in race conditions." The one wildcard with California every year is the weather, which can throw off the best laid plans in a hurry. Whatever happens, I'm really happy I get to watch it live on TV.

Hamilton counting himself out?

Update from the press conference at the Tour of California, apparently U.C. champ Tyler Hamilton's mom has breast cancer and that has been his focus for the last few months.

“I’ve been back in Boston for most of the last five weeks,” he said. And the weather out there hasn’t been so good for training, so I have spent three of the last five weeks on the indoor trainer. So I will take myself off of the list of favorites. But we have got some strong riders in guys like Oscar Sevilla, (Enrique) Gutierrez, Francisco Mancebo or Chris Baldwin who can fill that void. I will take it day by day and hope I can do something on a stage. Also we have Freddie Rodriguez, who is going well this year. I think he is a step or two above where he was last year. I will be a domestique this year and I will be happy to do it.”

Very sad news, I hope she gets well. Also, it's being reported that Floyd Landis crashed in training but is still expected to start Saturday.

Tour of California on Versus - oh yeah!

Cable guy came and I'm now all set for the Tour of California viewing spectacular. I have already set the DVR so I can watch the coverage over and over. Hopefully it's all in HD too.

So I broke down what I thought about Astana. Still think Levi is the favorite. But lets look at some of the other guys riding in the ToC.

Back from suspension
There are three guys who got banned for doping who I'll be watching in this race. Ivan Bass0, Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton.

Basso
I think Basso has the most potential but probably not in this race. At 31, he's the youngest of the three riders. The former winner of the Giro d'talia was banned for two years after admitting he had "attempted to dope" but says he did not ever actually dope (he apparently did not inhale). The Italian was a star on the rise when he got banned so I'll be interested in seeing how the two years off have or have not changed him. But Basso has other goals on his plate this year and as a member of Liquigas he'll be able to race in Europe and enter more high stakes races. So I think he may be missing that motivation to be a true factor in this race.

Landis
Now Floyd Landis on the other hand, he's very motivated to do well in the ToC. I have to assume even the most casual cycling fan knows the sad story of Floyd Landis. The former Lance Armstrong teammate had his victory at the Tour de France in 2006 stripped after he failed a doping test. Landis is back from his two-year ban and is riding for the domestic squad OUCH. This means Landis will not be racing in Europe and the ToC is probably the biggest race of the year for OUCH. In interviews Landis has acted like he might not be the GC contender for his team, but I have to believe that's him trying to act like he's no better than anyone else on his squad. Also, Landis was the winner of the very first ToC.

One benefit of Landis' suspension was that it gave him time to have his hip resurfaced (Yes, you read that right. He had that surgery that's a step below hip replacement, and he's 33). A bad crash in training left Landis with a bum hip, which he raced on for four years. Landis says it feels great to ride without pain. I bet! Landis may be in the mix of things because he's a good climber and won his share of time trials, but I think if he's going to have success on a big U.S. stage this year it will more likely come in the Tour of Missouri or U.S. championships toward the end of the year.

Hamilton
And finally we come to Mr. Nice Guy Tyler Hamilton. Hamilton has had a long road back to the big times. He was banned for blood doping in 2004 for two years. Wait, it's 2009 now? It's true, his ban ended in the middle of 2006 and he signed with a team and did ride in 2007. But news reports were linking Hamilton to the doping scandal Operation Puerto and saying he had tried to dope in 2002-2004 (based on the failed test in 2004, seems like he did inhale). The bad publicity proved too much for his team Tinkoff Credit Systems and they parted ways in a messy legal battle (which I think may still be on-going).

Last year Hamilton signed with Rock Racing but the Tour of California would not let him ride. He would end his year on a high note by winning the U.S. road championship (now he gets to wear a cool red, white and blue jersey all year. Captain America costume all set for Halloween!). So here we are in 2009, five years after Hamiltion's fall and the ToC is apparently going to let him ride this year. I'm not sure if they feel he's served his time or just realized it'd be weird to ban the current U.S. road cycling champion from their race. Hamilton is very competitive, he paid his dues as a domestique to Armstrong and spent the years in which he would have had his best chances at glory banned from the sport. Hamilton's almost 38. The clock is ticking. Add in all the concerns about his team Rock Racing and whether they're going to be around for very much longer (they can't find a sponsor to put up the big bucks) and the time is very much now for Hamilton. But does he have enough left in the tank to make anything happen? I guess we'll find out.