  |
| Levi Leipheimer | ||||
| Birthdate: 10/24/73 Hometown: Butte, Mont. Discipline: Road Team: Gerolsteiner Website: http://www.gerolsteiner.de/index.php?id=1512&flash=1 Olympian: 2004 Career Highlights: 2001 Vuelta a Espana, Overall - 3rd Place 2001 World Championships, Time Trial - 4th Place 2002 Route du Sud, Overall - 1st Place 2003 Dauphine Libere, Overall - 6th Place 2004 Setmana Catalana, Stage 4, 1st Place 2005 Tour of Germany, 1st place 2006 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, 1st place |
|
|||
| Introduction | ||||
| Levi Leipheimer rode in his breakthrough performance at the 2001 Vuelta a Espana, where he took third place overall. In 2002, Levi was the highest American finisher in the Tour de France after Lance Armstrong, riding to an eighth place finish. He was forced out of the 2003 Tour when he fractured his pelvis in the second stage. | ||||
| Personal | ||||
| Levi, who was a competitive skier from age 12-19, graduated from Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School in 1992. Levi is married to his wife, Odessa, and the couple has a home in Santa Rosa, Calif. with six cats. | ||||
| How They Got Here | ||||
| Leipheimer originally began cycling in 1987 to train for downhill ski racing. He turned pro in 1997, and rode for Saturn in 1998 and 1999. After a solid 1999 season when he won the U.S. National Time Trial Championships, Leipheimer was invited to join the USPS roster in 2000. In 2002, Dutch team Rabobank recruited Levi as a team leader based on his impressive 2001 Vuelta a España podium finish. On his first year with the new team, Levi finished eighth overall in his first ever Tour de France | ||||
| Did You Know? | ||||
| • In 2002, Levi auctioned off several of his Tour de France jerseys and contributed the proceeds to the Ross Dillon Fund, which helps pay the medical expenses of a cyclist who was hit by a car, and a local cat rescue center. • At two years of age, a horse kicked Levi in the stomach and ruptured his intestines. He underwent an operation, and excess scar tissue from the operation caused blockage that required another operation in 2002. | ||||
| Performance | ||||
2006 1st - Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2nd - Tour of Germany 1st - Stage 5, Tour of Germany 13th - Tour de France 13th - GC, after Stage 11, Tour de France 14th - GC, after Stage 12, Tour de France 10th - Stage 15, Tour de France 9th - GC, after Stage 15, Tour de France 9th - Stage 16, Tour de France 9th - GC, after Stage 16, Tour de France 1st - Prologue, Tour of California 4th - Stage 2, Tour of California 2005 1st Overall- Tour of Germany 2nd - Stage 5, Dodge Tour de Georgia 2nd Overall- Dodge Tour de Georgia 3rd Overall- Dauphiné Libéré 5th - Stage 14, Tour de France 6th - Stage 2, Dodge Tour de Georgia 6th - Stage 3, Dodge Tour de Georgia 6th - Stage 10, Tour de France 6th Overall- Tour de France 8th - Stage 11, Tour de France 2004 9th Overall- Tour de France 13th - Prologue, Tour de France 12th - Stage 3, Tour de France 17th - Stage 10, Tour de France 15th - Stage 11, Tour de France 16th - Stage 12, Tour de France 19th - Stage 13, Tour de France 5th - Stage 15, Tour de France 7th - Stage 17, Tour de France 12th - Stage 19, Tour de France 1st - Stage 4, Setmana Catalana 5th - Stage 8, Paris-Nice 5th - Stage 5b, Vuelta a Pais Vasco 5th Overall- Vuelta a Pais Vasco 7th - Stage 5, Tour Mediterranean 10th Overall- Tour Mediterranean 2003 6th Overall- Dauphiné Libéré 13th - Elite Men’s Time Trial World Championships 8th - Stage 20, Vuelta a Espana 2002 1st Overall- Route du Sud 2001 1st - Stage 1, Sea Otter Classic 3rd Overall- Vuelta a Espana 4th - World Time Trial Championships 2nd Overall- Vuelta a Castilla-Leon 5th Overall- Vuelta a Murcia | ||||
