Road Bike Racing - Levi at Copperopolis

http://www.deltavelo.com/race_coverage/2007_road/copperopolis_rr/copper_video_a.html

Why no team kit?

probably wasn't riding officially for Disco, hence no team helmet, gloves, bottles, anything really.

Although, he was decked out in full Gerolsteiner kit for the same race in 2006... odd...
http://www.abbiorca.com/bike/road/road2006/copperopolis/best/source/image/copper_06_1318_r.jpg

So he pretty much just rode away from the field and did a solo training ride? Or is the video somewhat deceptive?

--Steve

So he pretty much just rode away from the field and did a solo training ride? Or is the video somewhat deceptive?

--Steve

deceptive? maybe.

boring as hell? definitely.

Discovery's team management has, over the years, made the Death Star's look like cookies and milk with your grandmother. They probably gave Levi a list of places and times where he must where his team kit and precluded him from wearing them anywhere else, at any other time. They are trying to control the exposure of the team. Silly geese, wouldn't the sponsor have liked this?

Discovery's team management has, over the years, made the Death Star's look like cookies and milk with your grandmother. They probably gave Levi a list of places and times where he must where his team kit and precluded him from wearing them anywhere else, at any other time. They are trying to control the exposure of the team. Silly geese, wouldn't the sponsor have liked this?

please note that he was wearing 10/2 cycling gear.

please note that he was wearing 10/2 cycling gear.
Yea I am wondering if Nike/10:2/Lance is going to be the next team sponsor.

That 10//2 stuff is strange. My shorts ran small, and the jersey ran big. The jersey is also nearly as heavy as two normal jerseys. Feels like chain mail armor.

He did most of the race solo, not really attacking just riding them off. He casually rolled across the finish giving a little wave to a couple of guys that called out his name. He was almost two minute ahead of the next pro and didn't look like he was pushing it at all.

I just got the latest Velonews in the mail and they have a little thing in the back talking about the Tour of CA. They tell a story about stage one where a bunch of the PT riders stopped for a nature break shortly before a mid stage sprint, did their buisness and then just casually grouped together and rode back to the peleton. They also gave an example of...Fast Freddie I think it was, having a mechanical...stopping to get it fixed and then casually rode back to the peleton. Then they went on to tell how domestic riders in the same situations were killing themselves to get back on and some couldn't do it.

To me it just goes to show the massive difference between even the domestic pros and the Euro pros. Those guys really are that much faster...or their drugs are better. :D

I just got the latest Velonews in the mail and they have a little thing in the back talking about the Tour of CA. They tell a story about stage one where a bunch of the PT riders stopped for a nature break shortly before a mid stage sprint, did their buisness and then just casually grouped together and rode back to the peleton. They also gave an example of...Fast Freddie I think it was, having a mechanical...stopping to get it fixed and then casually rode back to the peleton. Then they went on to tell how domestic riders in the same situations were killing themselves to get back on and some couldn't do it.

To me it just goes to show the massive difference between even the domestic pros and the Euro pros. Those guys really are that much faster...or their drugs are better. :D

+1

I know a guy who did Copperopolis in '06 with Levi. He said that Levi was out doing tempo while the guys sitting on his wheel felt like dying. (and looked it too)

if that's true, why do a race when you're just going to slaughter anyone? It's not like he needed the $30 and the t-shirt.

if that's true, why do a race when you're just going to slaughter anyone? It's not like he needed the $30 and the t-shirt.


If he needed that $30 then Disco is going down...


who knows why he showed up. At the very least it gives us locals something to talk about.

He showed up last year, too. maybe he just wanted to ride.

I hope he decides to show up for Sea Otter again too.

I heard that last year only 20 of the 150 starters finished. Everyone else got dropped and pulled and Levi finished 6th. I can't wait!

go PM, you know you can drop that midget! :)

I just talked to a friend of mine who was in the chase group just behind Levi. Here's his
brief summary:

"He started the early breakaway and rode everyone out of it by the last lap."

He's an international pro. What else would one expect?

if that's true, why do a race when you're just going to slaughter anyone? It's not like he needed the $30 and the t-shirt.


Because it's in their contracts that they race domestically for a certain number of races. Lance used to do mountain bike races and such, I read somewhere they wanted him to ride for the olympic mtn bike team at one point.

Regardless, Levi is still ramping up his fitness. He's notoriously done Copperopolis and Sea Otter as tough training races, I'm sure he uses them to gauge his power output/wattage from the previous year to see where he is at in his training. You can see in the video he is constantly looking down at that SRM for his wattage, and two constistent races annually give good feedback as to where he stands.