Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Levi Leipheimer, defending USA Pro Challenge champion, left the start house ready to protect his GC lead in his yellow skinsuit for the final 15.3km ITT on Sunday.
Prof. since: 1997
Victories: 50
Style of rider: all-rounder, chronoman
Hobbies: animals, charity work
Favourite race: Tour of California
Personal website: LeviNation.com
With more than 40 victories and counting, Levi is one of the most successful riders in the last decade of cycling. He has specialised in time trials and stage races, and he also holds the record for victories in the general classification of the Tour of California, no less than three, and the record for stage successes, six. He had a great year in 2011, crowned by six successes, including the Tour de Suisse, the Tour of Utah and the first edition of the USA Pro Challenge. Levi is also a champion altruist. Through the granfondo that bears his name, which takes place every year in September in Santa Rosa, he raises money for initiatives related to cycling, as well as local initiatives for children and education. Strongly tied to his hometown in Sonoma County, in 2012 Levi has his sights set on the Tour of California, the Tour de France, the Olympic time trial and the USA Pro Challenge.
Ranking: 140
Points: 3
1997 (2)
Stage 3 Cascade Classic, Stage 5 Killington Stage race
1998 (1)
Overall rankings Tour de Beauce
1999 (2)
Stage 3 and overall rankingsTour de Beauce
2000 (1)
Stage 2 Circuit Franco-Belge
2001 (2)
Redlands Bicycle Classic, Stage 1 Sea Otter Classic
2002 (2)
Stage 3 and overall rankings Route du Sud
2004 (1)
Stage 4 Stemana Catalana de Ciclismo
2005 (2)
Stage 4 and overall rankings Deutschland Tour
2006 (3)
Prologue Tour of California, Overall rankings Dauphiné Libéré, Stage 5 Deutschland Tour
2007 (8)
Prologue, stage 5 and overall rankings Tour of California, Stage 4 and 5 Tour de Georgia, Stage 19 Tour de France, National road championships, Stage 3 Tour of Missouri
2008 (8)
Stage 5 and overall rankings Tour of California, Prologue Dauphiné-Libéré, Stage 3 and overall rankings Cascade Classic, Clasica a los Puertos de Guadarrama, Stage 5 and 20 Vuelta a España
2009 (7)
Stage 6 and overall rankings Tour of California, Stage 2 and overall rankings Vuelta Ciclista y Leon, Stage 1 and 3, overall rankings Tour of the Gila
2010 (4)
Stage 1 and overall rankings Tour of the Gila, Stage 2 and overall rankings Tour of Utah
2011 (6)
Stage 7 Tour of California, Overall ranking Tour de Suisse, Overall ranking Tour of Utah, stage 1, 3 and overall ranking USA Pro Cycling Challenge
2012 (3)
Tour de San Luis Stage 3 and 4, overall ranking Tour de San Luis
1997: Comptel Data System
1998: Saturn
1999: Saturn Cycling Team
2000: US Postal Service
2001: US Postal Service
2002: Rabobank
2003: Rabobank
2004: Rabobank
2005: Gerolsteiner
2006: Gerolsteiner
2007: Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
2008: Astana
2009: Astana
2010: Team RadioShack
2011: Team RadioShack
2012: Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team
Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Levi Leipheimer, defending USA Pro Challenge champion, left the start house ready to protect his GC lead in his yellow skinsuit for the final 15.3km ITT on Sunday.
Defending USA Pro Challenge champion Levi Leipheimer waited for just the right moment on Cat 1 Flagstaff Mtn. in the 165.8km Stage 6. He was in a select group that included yellow jersey wearer Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) and others, as Rory Sutherland (UnitedHealthcare Cycling Team) was on his way to a solo victory out of an original breakaway of 14 riders.
A 12 rider breakaway, which was reduced to a nine rider breakaway in the final kilometers, managed to stay away in the 159.3km USA Pro Challenge Stage 2 on Tuesday until the final kilometer. However, it was the final kilometer in Crested Butte where the fireworks happened, and Levi Leipheimer successfully fought to protect his GC contention.