Anyone really think is going to happen with anything other than some small States based team?
don't see how. he was never really well-liked, doped, seems unrepentant, doesn't seem to be able to beat his contemporaries head-to-head, and there are younger, faster bucks coming along - what's the upside?
Not on a team, which leaves MtB racing, can't really see him racing cross for some reason.
> doesn't seem to be able to beat his contemporaries head-to-head
haha yeah, but what about:
2012 1st Overall Tour de San Luis
2011 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
2011 1st Overall USA Pro Cycling Challenge
2010 1st Overall Tour of Utah
2009 1st Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
2009 1st Overall Tour of California
2008 1st Overall Tour of California
I agree with all your other statements, there is no upside to take on a guy who so willingly hid it for as long as possible while profiting from what the doping system brought him. But he could win a race.
Those are tours, not races. If he keeps going, though, I can stop using my own PED -- melatonin.
Livestrong I hear is putting together a team.
Out of that whole crew, the only ones that will still race are already employed by Garmin. The rest are done and the Garmin guys are at the only place they will ever go. Just the way it is
I don't even think a tiny domestic shop team will pick LL up. As far as the doping confession, it is what it is. But is it really a confession when you parse the truth in a way that totally benefits yourself? I wish journalists would call BS and ask a little tougher questions. Levi and Rick Crawford have been getting too easy a time of it
Maybe he will show up at a local masters crit.
It must be nice being able to walk into someone else's shoes.
If he doesn't get a road gig, I bet he shows up at dirt endurance races on a Specialized bike with a nice little sponsor package from some of his connections/friends.
I admit I got dragged into this thread a bit; but in reality, who really cares what Levi ends up doing?
Bob -
I'll preface this by saying I'm sick and cranky but what's so special about his shoes? He had a positive test in 1996, which when added to his current admission should constitute a lifetime ban for second offense. He's also 39 years old. Subjectively, he's seen as a boring rider (soporifically so if you ask Elle), and he's probably got an asking price that no team's willing to pay. Even more subjectively, if the guy's telling the truth about his past then I'm Eleanor Roosevelt.
How I look at his shoes is he's a guy who's been a serial doper, has made a fortune being so, and should count himself lucky for what he's got (which if he hasn't been an idiot with money has to be a lot) and quietly retire.
The future may well be limited to cover-boy for "Cat Fancier" magazine.
dkri,
I thought Levis' Ephedra positive was overturned by Levis' parents plea, that the Ephedra was caused by an over the counter cold medication. (Claritin X?
Speaking of Ephedra bans, Alexi G. had a positive which was overturned, and then he went to win the Olympic RR.
Levi does a lot of good community work in Santa Rosa, with Animals kids and cycling.
Not just his Fondo thing, he gets a lot of great PR for cycling in Sonoma County.
Levis' best race.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WuVlYLmiCI
Flicker -
I'm going to fire up my bs-o-meter here. He had a cold for which he needed to take medicine and lapped the field at crit nationals? I'm sorry. And his parents pleas got him off?
He may be Kris Kringle - I have no idea and I don't doubt his nice guy bona fides - but he's got a lot of question marks over him, and he's not an entertaining entertainer. Cycling doesn't owe him a job. Sounds like he's got a nice thing going where he lives. Maybe open up a shop, or a touring business, or something else to trade on that.
Also, wasn't it 2008 where he basically had to hold back not to beat team mate Contador in the Vuelta? If that was clean, I'm Lady Bird Johnson. No. F'ing. Way. Son.
Edit - I also think OPQS is hypocritical as get out for firing him. Lefevre? A real beacon of hope, that guy is.
dkri, good posts I think. Agree that Levi should retire now.
flicker +1. Levi should spend more quality time with his charities in his retirement. I am a big little dog fan. Big dogs too though. Cats cool.
Even totally discounting all of the ped stuff, at 39 he is absolutley on the tail end of a pro cycling career for that reason alone.
Firing riders for coming clean is bogus. Who in their right mind will come clean now? Omertà. I think riders that come clean are blackballed because the next team is afraid they will snitch on their own doping practices. OPQS is afraid...
dkri,
You are the one with a cold medicine issue! First, we all know that you aren't really dkri but now you claim to be both Lady Bird Johnson and Eeleanor Roosevelt. ;}
Pati LeFeevre was the original king of systemically/systematiclly doping his riders. He let LL go because he needed to make room for Cav and his boys.
LL admitted to doping but he is no worse than those who are keeping quiet (that list is long!).
dkri, you're a wiser man than I to know what is in a man's heart.
I guess I view some of this as overkill at this point but what do I know
I can only answer for myself.
Getting fired for coming clean is exactly what should be expected.
"Hey boss, I misrepresented myself. It may be detrimental to the bottom line."
"Hey employee, here's the door."
Agree Burlap.
And letting dopers stay as long as they snitch on other dopers will NOT reduce doping in the long run I believe. Why would it?
Doping will become much more secretive. Maybe more dangerous. And a peloton with 10% of riders doping offers a strong incentive to dope for dollars.
Effective testing and a lifetime ban if you are caught.
No Sweet Deals Please. Snitch or no snitch - ban.
What is in for Specialized ? I mean why take the chance. You owe him nothing. Move on and try and get one of the new American kids on your bikes.
He is toast. He could have figured that out. Big George did.
Bob, This may come off as me flying off the handle. It's not. I don't always agree with you but I respect you. This is a time when we disagree. Here is my perspective.
Life has consequences. Levi became rich and famous, traveled the world, and lived a life that a lot of people would have loved to live. He cheated to get it. It was a willful decision on his part. It may be that Vaughters' tactics are the best way to transition from the era that was to the next one. I think it probably is, and as I said OPQS is hypocritical as hell for what they did. Lefevre should have fired himself at the same time. But now he's 40, he's got a lot of black marks against him, and he's having a hard time finding a team. There are no doubt a lot of guys who were clean when he was dirty who found it tough to get a job when the dopers were pounding them thanks to being willing to cheat and benefit from it.
About 10 years ago, the minister who married me asked me what was my greatest fear, and I told him quite honestly that it was to have to kill someone. If I had to defend myself or my wife or another loved one, I'd do it, but I am pretty sure I couldn't live with it. You've been in a war, and had to face this situation. I don't pretend to understand what that's like, I've been lucky enough to never be there. What I do know is that the choice these guys faced was NOTHING like that. I'm sick of this "I had no choice" BS. Pate (who likely has more talent than any of the lot) had a choice. Decanio had a choice. Adam Myerson had a choice. Why didn't Danielson, or Zabriskie, or Levi, or CVV, or any of the others? Sometimes you don't get the job you want, or the house you want, or the whatever you want. As Clint Clarke, my 8th grade history teacher and a hell of a man used to say "that's life in the big city." Levi got years and years of exactly the life he wanted. Now he's over the hill and he really doesn't have all that much to recommend him, but he wants MORE???? Is he actually smoking drugs right now when he says that. Jesus H. I don't know or care what's in his heart, I know that he got what he got thanks to a lot of help from what was in his veins. If he can't see that he should thank his lucky starts that he got what he got and basically got away with how he got it, I think he's the one who lacks the most wisdom of all.
jm - My partner and I actually pledged a pot of money to help fund our region's participation in the USAC/USADA testing thing, if the region decides it wants to be involved. It would look pretty silly if I stroked that check and then was the dude who got busted. My timing is impeccable on this cold though - a weekend off before the last race next weekend. Quality rest.
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