Sub-subtitled: We Now Know What it Takes to Beat Alberto Contador
A few weeks ago when I rode with Chris Horner he said to me, "Levi is always bragging about the weather in Santa Rosa, but everytime I'm there it's pouring rain." His loss because while Chris was off racing in Europe, he missed some weather that was far from the sucky Tour of California and training camp downpours he's become accustomed to experiencing.
Another year of Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo is in the books. A day of fun in the sun and puke dodging descents. I can’t help but to feel a bit saddened by this. Well, the fun part, but I can do without the puke aspect of the day. I’ve been looking forward to this event with a mixture of excitement and trepidation since registering last December. Yes, that’s right… I hadn’t been looking forward to it since last October immediately following my first participation.
This year is different though and I simply can’t wait to return.
I could barely make out the start from where I was staged.
Last year was rough. I was unprepared and unfamiliar with the route. I’d only been riding a road bike for a month and didn’t have proper training under my belt. After deciding to return for round two, I took my training somewhat seriously. This year, I was prepared. Unfortunately, I always ended up stuck behind people that weren’t prepared.
This was the first time I’ve ever dropped people while climbing. I’m not strong in this department. Far from it. However, while I was pushing myself uphill I repeatedly said to myself, “It’s just like the elliptical. It’s just like the elliptical at the gym.” Knowing I can go for a long time on the elliptical, this mantra seemed to work in getting me through some tough spots.
It’s also the first time that I’ve ever seen so many cyclists on the road that the entire peloton comes to a complete halt for no reason other than the fact that there were too many riders that either couldn’t climb or couldn’t take a turn on a descent. It’s bound to happen when you have 6,058 cyclists on the tiny roads of Sonoma County.
Postcard perfect day in Sonoma County!
Regardless of the difficulties on the road with traffic, everyone was incredibly friendly and I didn’t once have SAG have to ask me if I was okay. People remained patient and outgoing throughout the entire ride. Of course, the real fun began once I returned to the festival.
I quickly found Martha Van of Action Wipes fame and she immediately saw to my cleanliness needs by handing me a refreshing wipe before I met up with another tweep, Chris, for the first time at Mama Duck’s home (aka, the Action Wipes booth). We gabbed about the ride and how the day was going, spent some time lounging in the shade, and explored the festival.
At one point in the afternoon, Martha says to me, “Michelle, there’s Levi!” I turned around and eventually found him visiting with a group two booths over. Martha talked me into going over there to have my picture taken with him. The conversation went something like this:
Martha: Excuse me; can we get your picture?
Levi: Oh, sure!
Eventually the photo is taken and Levi thanks us for coming.
Me: No, thank you for putting on this event!
Martha indicating to me: She rode too.
Levi looks me over: Oh, you look like it.
As Martha and I walked away, I turned to her and said, “Did Levi Leipheimer just say I look like crap?” Martha will tell the story differently, but I'm pretty sure it was my physical appearance he was referring to and not the fact that I was still wearing my gear. I mean, just because I'm wearing the clothes doesn't mean I ride. Maybe I wear those clothes to work all of the time.
There was more hanging around (and some mild stalking of Patrick Dempsey) until eventually it was time for Levi to address the crowd. Of course, I sat there taking a bunch of photos.
Levi and Patrick Dempsey were interviewed after the ride.
US National Champion, Ben King shared a few words too.
Levi's wife, Odessa Gunn, talks about Forget Me Not Farm and admits that she's afraid of kids.
One of the funnier moments of the interview was during the Q&A portion when a fan asked Levi, "What does it take to beat Alberto Contador?" Without skipping a beat Levi responded, "Andy Schleck."
Biggest regret? I didn’t get photos of the @LCC_Cycling members @GregKnottLeMond, @MarthaVan, @jaowen, @budzilla1, @ChrisAGriffin, @HomeInspectorSR, @experiement626, @SDVeloSocial or any of the other wonderfully friendly folks I met along the way.
All in all... it was a very good day. Now it's time to start training for the Medio.
More photos can be found here.
