Levi Leipheimer

Levi Leipheimer (born October 24, 1973) is an American professional road bicycle racer who rides for UCI ProTour team. His major accomplishments include winning the 2007, 2008 and 2009 editions of the Tour of California, the 2011 Tour de Suisse, the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge, and the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré. Notable results for Leipheimer on Grand Tours include coming in second in the 2008 Vuelta a España, third in the 2001 Vuelta a España, and having four top-ten finishes in the Tour de France, including third overall in the 2007. In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games road time trial competition, Leipheimer won the bronze medal. He is also a two-time national champion having won the National Time Trial Championship in 1999 and the National Road Race Championship in 2007.

On 10 October 2012 it was announced by USADA that he would be suspended for six months for admissions of doping during his time with the US Postal Cycling Team. Later that day a statement was released confirming his acceptance of a six month ban from 1 September 2012 ending on 1 March 2013 along with a stripping of all race results between June 1999 and July 2006, as well as results during July 2007.

Early life
Leipheimer was born and raised in Butte, Montana where his parents ran a sports gear store. As a youth, his main sport was skiing, but he became interested in cycling and a skiing accident led to him directing his career hopes towards cycling. He moved to Belgium after graduation to race as an amateur, and turned professional in 1997.

Personal life
Leipheimer is married to Canadian professional cyclist Odessa Gunn, whom he met at a World Cup event in Philadelphia in 1997.

He has supported the charity PETA in an advertising campaign.

Maestro Frigas and Einstein (1995–1996)
In 1995 Leipheimer won the Tour of Namur as an intern for the British F.S. Maestro – Frigas team.

Positive test
Leipheimer, riding for Team Einstein, won the 1996 U.S. National Criterium Championships in Grandview Heights, Ohio, but tested positive for ephedrine, a banned substance, at the championship, and forfeited his title, prize money and jersey. His family subsequently claimed that this was due to taking allergy medicine Claritin-D to relieve hay fever. The United States Cycling Federation subsequently allowed the use of such medications to treat allergies.

Colorado Cyclist and Saturn (1997–1999)
Leipheimer turned professional in 1997 with the Colorado Cyclist team. In 1998, he changed teams and was hired by Team Saturn, with which he won the U.S. National Time Trial Championship in 1999.

U.S. Postal (2000–2001)
Leipheimer joined the team in 2000. His breakthrough came in the 2001 Vuelta a España, his first Grand Tour, in which he was riding in support of team leader Roberto Heras. Going into the final stage, an individual time trial in Madrid, Leipheimer was fifth, trailing his leader, who was third, by about a minute. During that time trial, Leipheimer moved ahead of two riders, including Heras, in the general classification to finish third overall, the first American to reach the podium in the Vuelta.

Rabobank (2002–2004)
He joined Dutch team in 2002, and he finished eighth in his first Tour de France.

Leipheimer represented the United States in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race, but did not finish. He finished ninth in the Tour de France of that year.

Gerolsteiner (2005–2006)
Riding for the German team, Leipheimer finished 6th in the 2005 Tour de France. On August 23, 2005, Leipheimer won the Deutschland Tour by 31 seconds, ahead of 's Jan Ullrich and Gerolsteiner teammate Georg Totschnig. He had solidified his lead by defeating Ullrich in stage four on the Rettenbachferner, the highest climb in European racing that year at 2,670m.

In August 2010, Leipheimer was accused of having suspect blood values during the 2005 Tour de France by Hans-Michael Holczer, his former team manager at Gerolsteiner, in his book Garantiert Positiv (Guaranteed Positive, in English). According to Holczer, Leipheimer showed blood values that indicated a "high probability of blood manipulation" and were so suspicious that one UCI official suggested that he should be withdrawn from the race. Holczer said that he refused to withdraw Leipheimer because the team was "facing total bankruptcy" due to the sponsor's nervousness about the team's involvement in other doping scandals.

In February 2006, Leipheimer was a favorite to win the inaugural Tour of California. He took the leader's golden jersey on the first day by winning the prologue to San Francisco's Coit Tower, but eventually finished sixth behind Floyd Landis and won the competition for best climber.

Leipheimer won the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré, having gained the overall lead on the stage to Mont Ventoux. He was considered a contender in the 2006 Tour de France after several favorites, including Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, were suspended because of the Operación Puerto doping case: Leipheimer, who had been sixth the previous year, was the highest-placed rider returning. However, his final position was 12th, 18 and a half minutes behind winner Floyd Landis.

Team Discovery (2007)
Leipheimer re-signed with Tailwind Sports Corp. and Capital Sports & Entertainment, managing companies for the U.S. Postal and, later, the Discovery Channel cycling teams. Leipheimer was team leader in the 2007 Tour of California, which he won after leading the race from start to finish. In the Paris-Nice race, he supported teammate Alberto Contador, who won. He placed third in the 2007 Tour de France, 31 seconds behind the winner, Contador. Leipheimer also won stage 19, the last individual time trial. Discovery Channel disbanded at the end of the season. Leipheimer won the 2007 USA road championship, 1m 11s ahead of Discovery teammate and defending champion George Hincapie.

Astana (2008–2009)
Leipheimer joined Astana, managed by Johan Bruyneel, former manager of U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel. Astana was banned from the 2008 Tour de France because of doping scandals in the 2007 Tour, although all involved in those scandals had been replaced. Leipheimer created a website to petition, unsuccessfully, for admittance to the 2008 Tour.

Leipheimer won the 2008 Tour of California. At the last minute, Astana was admitted to the Giro di Italia, and Leipheimer finished 18th, helping teammate Contador to victory. He won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in the road time trial. Leipheimer won both time trials of the 2008 Vuelta a España, leading the race after the first stage, and placing second overall behind Contador.

Leipheimer began 2009 by winning the Tour of California for the third consecutive year. He broke away during the final climb of stage 2 and led after the stage. Leipheimer won stage 6, the Solvang individual time trial. Astana teammate Lance Armstrong, in his second race after returning from retirement, rode for Leipheimer. Leipheimer won the 2009 SRAM Tour of the Gila with Astana teammates Chris Horner and Armstrong, who finished second but, as UCI regulations meant that Astana were ineligible for the event, the three rode as Team Mellow Johnny's, named after Armstrong's bike shop.

In May, Leipheimer rode for Astana in the Giro d'Italia and finished sixth overall, the team's best placement. Later, the second place finisher Danilo Di Luca tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of his title, moving Leipheimer up to a fifth place finish in the records.

Riding with Astana in the 2009 Tour de France, Leipheimer broke a wrist in a crash near the end of stage 12, when he was fourth overall, and abandoned the race.

Team RadioShack (2010–2011)
Leipheimer moved, along with Armstrong and several others from Astana's 2009 team, to for 2010. He won his second consecutive SRAM Tour of the Gila in April. At the 2010 Tour de California Leipheimer finished in third place overall.

Leipheimer was favored to lead the team in California again for 2011, but became the team's chief domestique instead, riding in support of Chris Horner's eventual victory, after the latter posted a stronger time on mountainous stage four into San Jose. Leipheimer also won the stage finishing at the Mount Baldy ski area, and was second in the individual time trial. In his next race, the Tour of Switzerland, Leipheimer overhauled the race leader Damiano Cunego by 4 seconds in the final time trial stage.

Leipheimer won the first edition of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, winning the first stage and coming second in the third stage time trial.

Omega Pharma - Quick-Step (2012)
Leipheimer joined Patrick Lefevere's team for what was supposed to be the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He started his year by winning the Tour de San Luis in Argentina. However, while on a training ride on the eve of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, he broke his fibula when he collided with a car. He stated that he thought he would die when the accident happened. He returned to competition at the Tour of California, and he was awarded the "Most Courageous" jersey for the first stage in recognition of his return from injury, before finishing sixth overall. He followed that performance by taking the third place in the Tour de Suisse. Leipheimer won a stage of the Tour of Utah, and finished third overall in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, having been race leader for one day. Levi was fired by the Quick-Step team in October of 2012 ostensibly due to his admission of doping between 1999 and 2007.

King Ridge GranFondo
In 2009 Leipheimer founded his King Ridge GranFondo, a mass participation ride named for the challenging King Ridge Road in Sonoma County. The inaugural version of the GranFondo hosted a sold-out crowd of 3500 people on the roads in and around Leipheimer's home of Santa Rosa, California. By 2012, participation had risen to 7,500 riders. The event is a charity ride, benefitting the Forget Me Not Farm, LIVESTRONG, and a series of cycling initiatives designed to promote cycling in and around Sonoma County.

Major results
All results from June 1, 1999 to July 30, 2006 and July 7 to July 29, 2007 are stripped.


 * 1995
 * 1st Overall Tour de la Province de Namur


 * 1997
 * 1 Stage of Cascade Cycling Classic
 * Prologue Tour de Toona


 * 1998
 * 1st Overall Tour de Beauce
 * 1st Stage 3


 * 1999
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG National Time Trial Champion


 * 1st Overall Tour de Beauce
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 2nd Pan American Games Men's Road Race
 * 3rd Sea Otter Classic


 * 2000
 * 1st Stage 2 Circuit Franco-Belge


 * 2001
 * 1st Stage 5 Redlands Bicycle Classic
 * 1st Mountains Classification
 * 1st Stage 1 Sea Otter Classic
 * 2nd Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
 * 3rd Overall Vuelta a España


 * 2002
 * 1st Overall Route du Sud
 * 1st Stage 3 (ITT)
 * 8th Overall Tour de France


 * 2003
 * 8th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné


 * 2004
 * 1st Stage 4 Setmana Catalana
 * 9th Overall Tour de France


 * 2005
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey gold.svg|20px]] Deutschland Tour
 * 1st [[Image:Jersey polkadot.svg|20px]] King of the Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 2nd Overall Tour de Georgia
 * 3rd Overall Dauphiné Libéré
 * 6th Overall Tour de France


 * 2006
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey yellow-bluebar.svg|20px]] Dauphiné Libéré
 * 2nd Overall Deutschland Tour
 * 1st Stage 5
 * 6th Overall Tour of California
 * 1st Prologue
 * 1st [[Image:Jersey orange.svg|20px]] King of the Mountains
 * 12th Overall Tour de France
 * [[Image:Jersey red number.svg|20px]] Combativity award Stage 18


 * 2007


 * 1st USA Cycling Professional Tour
 * 1st MaillotUSA.PNG National Road Race Champion
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey gold.svg|20px]] Tour of California
 * 1st Prologue & Stage 5 (ITT)
 * 1st Copperopolis Road Race
 * Tour de Georgia
 * 1st Stage 4 (ITT) & 5
 * 1st Stage 3 (ITT) Tour of Missouri
 * 2nd Overall Deutschland Tour


 * 3rd Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Stage 19 (ITT)


 * 2008
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey gold.svg|20px]] Tour of California
 * 1st Stage 5 (ITT)
 * 1st Overall Cascade Cycling Classic
 * 1st Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama
 * 2nd Overall Vuelta a España
 * 1st Stage 5 & 20
 * 3rd Overall Tour de Georgia
 * 3rd Overall Dauphiné Libéré
 * 1st Prologue (ITT)
 * 3rd Individual Time Trial, 2008 Beijing Olympics
 * 4th UCI Road World Championships Time Trial


 * 2009
 * 1st Stage 4 (TTT) Tour de France
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey gold.svg|20px]] Tour of California
 * 1st Stage 6 (ITT)
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey red.svg|20px]] Vuelta a Castilla y León
 * 1st Stage 2 (ITT)
 * 1st Overall Tour of the Gila
 * 1st Stage 1 & 3 (ITT)
 * 1st stage 2 Sea Otter Classic
 * 5th Overall Giro d'Italia


 * 2010
 * 1st Overall Tour of the Gila
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 1st Overall Tour of Utah
 * 1st Stage 2
 * 1st Leadville Trail 100 MTB (course record)
 * 3rd Overall Tour of California


 * 2011
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey yellow.svg|20px]] USA Pro Cycling Challenge
 * 1st Stage 1 & 3
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey yellow.svg|20px]] Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey yellow.svg|20px]] Tour of Utah
 * 2nd Overall Tour of California
 * 1st Stage 7
 * 3rd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
 * 5th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
 * 8th Overall Paris–Nice


 * 2012
 * 1st Overall [[Image:Jersey yellow.svg|20px]] Tour de San Luis
 * 1st Stage 3 & 4 (ITT)
 * 3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
 * 3rd Overall USA Pro Cycling Challenge
 * 6th Overall Tour of California
 * 6th Overall Tour of Utah
 * 1st Stage 6

Grand Tour General Classification results timeline
WD=Withdrew

Notes and references

 * Notes


 * References