Leipheimer: ‘I will race my bike again’

  1. powrbar

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    this is another example of a softball interview . Both Levi and the host both avoid the real language of lied,stole and cheated. When asked about wealth,fame and results he got during his doped career Levi summed it up "it is what it is".
    It is exactly that. Levi admitted nothing until jail was on the table. There are no heros here ,only guys carefully wording everything so as not to be called exactly what they really are a lair,cheat and thief .Levi should retire and not continue to try and do good w feel good charity anything.
    Lance and the rest have worked overtime in parallel and if Lance and Levi are as close as look then the size of their charity work equals the guilt of cheating everybody then indeed Lance was the ring leader. @minute 17 of the video is almost comical as the two on screen struggle with how to describe Levi's life as a doped and rewarded bike racer.

    Now Levi's drug dealer coach has kept his job after obviously making false statements before,during and now after his employment as a coach of riders at various levels. The entire thing is a stinking hole. People describing courage and admirable behavior for any of these clowns need to revisit their opinion.

    Posted 5 months ago
  2. jmdirt

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    dkri,

    Just to be sure its clear, my comment to you was 100% joking around.

    I like that you put your money where your mouth is, literally!

    Posted 5 months ago
  3. Berzin

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    Some excellent responses on this thread. A pleasure to read, trolls notwithstanding.

    PA Biker writes-"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?"

    This about sums up why I don't care if Leipheimer ever rides as a pro again. All I remember from him he is getting continually dropped when he rode for Gerolsteiner and Rabobank at the Tour, yet with Astana he had that miraculous second place at the Giro behind Contador. Go figure.

    And funny how the doping his ex-coach spoke of back in 1999 never came up in Levi's epic life story "The Levi Effect".

    Posted 5 months ago
  4. madvax

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    A lot of good points here.

    The bad news for LL is that he is seen as damaged goods and part of that "old school" of dopers. He would be viewed as bad PR for these companies, such as OPQS. I agree that it appears harsh to blackball someone for finally coming clean, but that's not what this is about. The question the sponsors ask is, is this guy an asset or a liability to the team. At nearly 40 years old, there really is not a lot of upside for keeping/hiring damaged goods.

    There also may be some insider knowledge that there are other things going on with LL. Perhaps he's still not clean. The other riders often seem fairly clued in when it comes to knowing what is really going on.

    Posted 5 months ago
  5. dkri

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    jm -

    Yup, gotcha. I was going to go Rosalynn Carter next, I guess it's just a 20th century Democrat first ladies kind of a week. Little bit scared about what that means for me.

    Still sick.

    For disclosure purposes, I am a partner in November Bicycles. This fact probably colors everything I say. I'm clearly not to be trusted.
    Posted 5 months ago
  6. george

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    dkri, well enough. Hope you are feeling better soon, good luck next week.
    Heading up to Yosemite this morning.

    Posted 5 months ago
  7. powrbar

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    madvax you are possibly a little off if you read and watch interviews with Lil' LL he has lots of feedback from cycling fans that feel he is anything but damaged goods. He replied in the video that not a single person has come up to him and slammed him about his conduct.

    The opposite, people have praised him for being so brave in taking on his dope demons and "telling the truth". The wrist mounted dog collars he sells are popular and without knowing the financials of RoadID,Bobke appears to have continued support for the person or brand that the company represents.

    Nobody knows what is in a man's heart so I try and understand Levi as a husband,father and son and think his damage control campaign not only helps him but lessens the blow this has created for those close to him.

    My opinion is that all the other dopers are being given a larger than life example of how not to do something. Lance has so much more to gain and lose by telling his story but so far has said zero to give people and race fans a perspective on why he has done the things he did.

    Once he was noosed like the rest a regular person would have certainly understood the pressure to cheat and lie when chemo kids were all onboard with his story of hope and survival. Today his silence is the absolute worst course of action he can take. The personal,spiritual and medical advice he has been given is shit. Levi only needs to look at the Lance damage to know that getting some people on your side is helpful on many levels.

    Levi and the other dopers have all started by saying sorry. Lance is just a doper also but has separated himself by not telling people he is sorry. It may seem like a small thing, a tiny difference but I think in the end it will be huge.

    Posted 5 months ago
  8. pa biker

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    I doubt that "no one coming up to him and slamming him" is a good measure of an athlete's fan appeal.

    If Levi died tomorrow, it would likely have no effect on RoadID. At his peak he was a minor cycling celebrity.

    Posted 5 months ago
  9. madvax

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    He replied in the video that not a single person has come up to him and slammed him about his conduct

    I'm not saying LL is a bad guy. However, pro cycling extends beyond the US. LL may still have a fan base, but in the scope of things, it's probably not enough to land him a ride in anywhere but the US. The remaining sponsers are becoming forced to take a hard-line stance in order to show doping will no longer be tolerated. As I said, this is strictly a PR thing. Nothing personal in their decisions.

    people have praised him for being so brave in taking on his dope demons and "telling the truth".

    Yay! he's finally doing the right thing now that he's nearing retirement. What about all the other riders that tried to do the right thing by riding clean at the beginning of their careers? Oh that's right...other dopers like Levi took their spot and they never made it in the top ranks. Yep, Levi is one brave dude!

    Posted 5 months ago
  10. flicker

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    Madvax, we will never know who was cheated out of wins, but it was great to see Levi beat Cunego in the Swiss race, I am sure they were both clean there, the old man Levi was boss on the lil prince, sweet. Checking out the Vuelta in 2001, they all looked juiced, did you see how quick they climbed?
    If Levi races domestically he will smoke the domestic field, better Levi rides on an Italian team, in the Giro and Italian stage races, a job suited for him. Maybe partner with Rebbelin??

    Posted 5 months ago
  11. pa biker

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    See, I was rooting for Damiano there - never a fan of Levi.

    Posted 5 months ago
  12. Habanero

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    "partner with Rebbelin"

    LOL!!!

    "There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."
    Malcolm X
    Posted 5 months ago
  13. hoshie99

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    When I was young, I had a friend who was notorius for playing the law of averages in courting the ladies. I remember one time, he had struck out all evening and was still trying to chat some girls on the way out of closing from the bar at 2 something am. In watching him, I learned a valuable lesson that night, and it certainly wasn't try and try again.

    Rather, for me, I always had a sweet spot around 10:30 - if I had connected with a potential date by then, I knew it was likely going to be a good evening. Otherwise, time to move on.

    Sounds like Levi hasn't really realized that you can stay too long at the party particularly if the cops are going to show up.

    j

    Posted 5 months ago
  14. 7tdf-SpearofLance

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    + Polish, + Flicker. Ultra-haters fail with the same repeated stale arguments failing to come up with anything new or game changing against Levi, Lance or Postal. Big Yawn.

    Posted 5 months ago
  15. Inferno7

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    lol.....game changing? It's 2012 bro, you're living in 2011. Tours stripped 1/2/3/4/5/6/7. Everyone else slap on the wrist lol...must suck for you three.

    LeMond VO2 max 95, Armstrong 82....doh
    Posted 5 months ago
  16. madvax

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    Ultra-haters fail with the same repeated stale arguments

    I don't mind if you disagree, but do you have to be disrespectful about it. If you can make your point without resorting to name calling, then the threads remain more civil.

    Posted 5 months ago
  17. ElleSeven

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    Levi Leipheimer did not "come clean." He grassed. While I'm happier that he told the truth — even under these circumstances — than not told it, and I'm sure he feels better too, there is no need to wax poetic about his motivation. He was cornered. A deal was proffered. He squealed. Whether in time he would have looked into his shadowy soul and come forward all by himself is something we'll never know. The best we can say is that if he intended to do so, he dragged his feet just a hair too long.

    Posted 5 months ago

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