Levi Leipheimer (born October 24, 1973) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. He was twice US national champion, winning the time trial title in 1999 and the road race in 2007, and is an Olympic medalist. Leipheimer was born and raised in Butte, Montana and resides in Santa Rosa, California. He is the patron of the widely attended King Ridge GranFondo, a mass participation ride in Sonoma County.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced in October 2012 that Leipheimer would be suspended for his involvement in doping while riding for U.S. Postal Service, Rabobank, Gerolsteiner and Astana.[1] Leipheimer accepted a 6-month ban from September 1, 2012 to March 1, 2013 and was stripped of all race results from June 1, 1999 to July 30, 2006, and July 7 to 29, 2007.[2] (This included his third-place finish in the 2007 Tour.)
In May 2013, Leipheimer confirmed his retirement from professional cycling following the termination of his contract with Omega Pharma-Quickstep.[3][4]
Early life and amateur career
Leipheimer was born and raised in Butte, Montana, where his parents ran a sporting goods store. As a youth, his main sport was skiing, but he became interested in cycling after a skiing accident led to him directing his career hopes towards cycling.[5]
Maestro Frigas and Einstein (1995–1996)
In 1995 Leipheimer won the Tour of Namur[6] as an intern for the British F.S. Maestro – Frigas team.[7]
1996 doping violation
Leipheimer, riding for Team Einstein, won the 1996 U.S. National Criterium Championships in Grandview Heights, Ohio,[8][9] but tested positive for ephedrine, a banned substance. He eventually forfeited his title, prize money and national champion's jersey as well as receiving a three-month suspension.[10][11] Leipheimer's family later claimed that the positive test was not indicative of doping, but rather, the result of his taking allergy medicine Claritin-D to relieve hay fever.[12][13]
Professional career
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.[14] Leipheimer created a website to petition, unsuccessfully, for admittance to the 2008 Tour.
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 Solvangindividual 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 6th overall, the team's best placement. Later, the 2nd-place finisher Danilo Di Luca tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of his position, moving Leipheimer up to a 5th-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 4th overall, and abandoned the race.[15]
Leipheimer moved, along with Armstrong and several others from Astana's 2009 team, to Team RadioShack for 2010.[16]
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.[17][18] In his next race, the Tour of Switzerland, Leipheimer won, besting the race leader Damiano Cunego by 2 minutes in the final time trial stage, to win the tour by 4 seconds.[19]
Leipheimer joined Patrick Lefevere's Omega Pharma–Quick-Step team for what was supposed to be the 2012 and 2013 seasons.[20] 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.[21] He returned to competition at the Tour of California, where he won the "Most Courageous" jersey after stage one, in recognition of his return from the serious injury.[22] He finished the race in sixth overall.[23]
Omega Pharma-Quick Step terminated Leipheimer's contract in October, one week after his testimony to USADA.[27]
Retirement
Leipheimer officially retired from pro cycling in May 2013. As previously noted, Leipheimer had cooperated with USADA in their case against Lance Armstrong, and detailed his own use of performance-enhancing drugs and methods while riding for U.S. Postal Service, Rabobank, Gerolsteiner and Astana. In an October 2012 op-ed for the website of The Wall Street Journal ("Why I Doped"), Leipheimer also asserted to have raced the last five years of his career clean.[28]
On May 19, 2013, Leipheimer admitted to The Press Democrat that he was "transitioning into the rest of my life." "I'm retired," he told them. "It's just been an 'unceremoniously' retired."[30]
Personal life
On Tuesday, October 23, 2012, a feature-length documentary on Leipheimer's career entitled The Levi Effect: The Story of Levi Leipheimer was screened in select theaters in the United States.[31]
Career achievements
Major results
All results from June 1, 1999 to July 30, 2006 and July 7 to 29, 2007 are stripped.[32]
^"Levi Leipheimer tells hometown paper he's retired from pro cycling". VeloNews.com. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. Last year, Omega Pharma-Quick Step fired him after he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs and methods while riding for Saturn, U.S. Postal Service, Rabobank, and Gerolsteiner.
^"Leipheimer confirms: I'm retired". CyclingNews.com. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013. Levi Leipheimer has confirmed to reporters in California that he is indeed retired after his six month ban for doping violations was completed on March 1.
^VeloNews, volume 26: issue number 1, January 13, 1997, pp 6–7: Velonotes: A USA Cycling disciplinary panel has recommended that Levi Leipheimer receive a three-month suspension and be forced to return his national criterium championship jersey. The decision came after a drug test conducted at the August 18 championship event [was] positive. The panel's decision was upheld by USA Cycling executive director Lisa Voight, and the criterium title was awarded to Matt Johnson.
^Malach, Pat (October 11, 2012). "Riders react to USADA reasoned decision". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 11, 2012. Leipheimer, for example tested positive for ephedrine at the 1996 Elite criterium championships, which he won after lapping the field, and admitted using EPO while riding for Saturn in 1999.
^Leipheimer, Levi (October 10, 2012). "Leipheimer: Why I Doped". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 20, 2013. Today, I accept responsibility and Usada's sanctions for participating in the dirty past of cycling. I've been racing clean for more than 5 years in a changed and much cleaner sport.
^"Omega Pharma terminates Leipheimer's contract". Velonews.com. October 16, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2013. Omega Pharma-Quick Step has terminated its contract with American Levi Leipheimer following his admission last week that he doped between 1999 and 2007. Leipheimer was a witness in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's case and detailed his use of performance enhancing drugs in an affidavit and in an op-ed for the website of The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
^Benefield, Kerry (May 19, 2013). "Pro cyclist Levi Leipheimer announces retirement". The Press Democrat. Retrieved May 20, 2013. Santa Rosa's Levi Leipheimer said Sunday he's retired from professional cycling, becoming the latest casualty of a massive doping scandal that saw disgraced champion Lance Armstrong banned from the sport for life.
.jpg)
