Actually yesterday I was surprised at how little I even heard the name LA. I watched for 45 minutes and wouldn't even know he was in the race. This was the last 45 minutes of stage 2 and until just after one of the big crashes did I hear the name LA.
The truth is people are watching for LA whether some want to admit that or not. Take him out and watch the ratings plummet so it's in their best interest to over expose his race a bit.