Leipheimer loves Solvang loop
SOLVANG, Calif. -- Time trial courses in major bike races are usually one-of-a kind, custom experiences, never to be repeated. The Tour of California offers a rare exception. The undulating 15-mile course that starts and ends in this quaint Danish settlement is identical to the one riders rocketed around last year, and just one city block different from the setup two years ago.
It has become Levi Leipheimer's paper route. He delivered a victory for the third straight year Friday, bettering his 2008 time by 7 seconds, and consolidated his lead in the overall standings. He said his intimate familiarity with the Solvang loop has its pros and cons.
"We all know the course facts, the lefts, the rights, the wind," said Leipheimer, who finished in 30 minutes, 40 seconds -- 8 seconds ahead of Garmin-Slipstream's David Zabriskie -- and widened his overall lead to 34 seconds. "For me, it's more about the sensations, the experience, the confidence, the history of having won it two times before and having that pressure to continue the streak. It gets more and more special."
Zabriskie made it as hard as he could on Leipheimer and helped compensate for a subpar performance here last year, when he was suffering from a stomach ailment. Zabriskie, a soft-spoken Utah native, is known for speaking elliptically, but he was very direct when asked whether any team had a chance to pilfer the race from Astana this weekend.
"It would take a lot of screwing up on their part," said Zabriskie, who leapfrogged over Team Columbia-High Road's Michael Rogers for second place overall. "The experience they have, and the depth of their team, and Johan [Bruyneel, the team director] -- they know what they're doing."
Saturday's stage ends with circuits in Pasadena, where sprinters should rule and leave the standings intact. The challenging climbs of Palomar Mountain and Cole Grade outside San Diego on Sunday could fragment a tired peloton, but they come far enough from the finish that Astana likely will be able to reel in any contender threatening Leipheimer's lead.
Speaking of pilfered things, Lance Armstrong rode a bike that just two days ago was in the hands of unknown thieves who were trying to fence it in a sketchy part of Sacramento. It was not damaged, nor was it responsible for Armstrong's finish with the 14th-best time of the day, 1:16 shy of Leipheimer's pace.
"I wanted to be top 10, top 15, so I have to be pleasantly surprised with the result," Armstrong told a small group of reporters sandwiched in a mob of giddy, shrieking fans packed around the Astana bus. "No pressure, 'cause this race is really about Levi."
Armstrong, competing in his first time trial since the summer he retired almost four years ago, said he has yet to focus on specialized training for the event. He's still tinkering with his time trial position, a yoga pose he hasn't had to hold for any lengthy period in more than three years, and he's still a few pounds heavier than he wants to be. Bringing all those things up to snuff will become more urgent as May approaches. The Tour of Italy, one of Armstrong's main goals this season, features both a team time trial and an individual race against the clock, the latter of which is nearly triple the distance of Friday's test. The Tour de France is similarly designed.
"You have to do it in order to prepare for it," Armstrong said of the time trial. "Truth be told, I haven't done one interval since this whole [comeback] started, so I shouldn't come out and expect to light the world on fire versus guys like Zabriskie."
Columbia and Team Saxo Bank had the best days collectively Friday, placing three riders apiece in the top 10. Joining the ranks of the unlucky were Liquigas leader Ivan Basso, who injured his knee while warming up and did not start, and Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton, who had a mechanical mishap that slowed him to 4 minutes off Leipheimer's time.
If Leipheimer does cruise into Escondido wearing the yellow jersey Sunday, it could represent a singular moment for him this season -- one of few when he won't share the spotlight.
Leipheimer said he's nearly certain he'll race in the Tour of Italy, where there's a good chance he will fulfill the quid pro quo and work for Armstrong. At the Tour de France, where Leipheimer aspires to make a repeat appearance on the podium (he finished third in 2007), he faces the potential of having Armstrong and Alberto Contador battling it out for supremacy.
However, 35-year-old Leipheimer is also a different rider than he was three seasons ago, having carved out more of an identity for himself. He wore the leader's jersey in last year's Tour of Spain and nearly erased Contador's race lead in the final time trial.
Leipheimer has voiced nothing but satisfaction with Astana's dynamics and seems to realize that the rising tide there represented by Armstrong lifts all boats, including his modest vessel. "The team runs to perfection," Leipheimer noted. That's great security to have when you're in the driver's seat.
Bonnie D. Ford covers tennis and Olympic sports for ESPN.com. She can be reached at bonniedford@aol.com.
