TECH FEATURES: RBA EXCLUSIVE: LEVI TALKS SRAM TECH AND HIS GIRO PREP
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May 1, 2009

RBA MINI-VIEW: Levi Talks Shop At The Sea Otter



The Sea Otter race is not considered a major race on the Pro schedule so it came as quite a surprise to many spectators when it was announced that Levi Leipheimer would be in attendance. We got a chance to sit down with the Team Astana rider who was spending some weeks at home following his recent win at the Castilla de Leon race in Spain.

RBA: What are you doing racing the Sea Otter and what's on your plate coming up?
Levi: This is actually my second local race since I came home from the race in Spain and. I haven't raced the Sea Otter in a few years and I just thought it would be fun to come down and give it a try. After this I'll probably head to Utah or Colorado to get some high altitude training in before heading over the Giro. After the Giro, unless we do some stage previews for the Tour de France, I'll come back to the states for more altitude training.

RBA: What are your thoughts on the Giro?
Levi: The long time trial stage will be unlike anything anyone has ever done before. With a distance like that it will most likely be ridden on a road bike, not a TT bike. I think the race could be mine. I have no pressure on me and I have to say I was surprised at winning Castilla de Leon so I have good fitness. With all that in mind it might could be the opportunity I need to do well. Still, it's a special race this year (the 100th anniversary) and the Italian guys all want to do good. In a way it's a little bit like me and the Tour of California - it's my home race and I always end up riding stronger there. For the Italian riders the Giro is the same for them.


Levi tooled up to the Sea Otter in a sweet blacked out M3 Beemer with a carbon fiber roof  (that saves 60lbs.) and was met by his personnal SRAM bike porter Alex Wassmann who oversees all of Srams road racing efforts.

RBA: What about gear selections on the climbs?
Levi: They're not using the mountain bike stage we used last year so we'll have to see. Last year I ran a Compact crank on that stage with a 34-28 gear. Contador ran a 34x30 gear on that stage and I wish I had more gear. It's funny to think about the gearing now compared to back ion the day. It used to be that a 23 gear was considered big, then it was a 25 and then it went to a 27. I run an 11-28 for early season training and I remember thinking this year, why not just run a Compact all the time?

RBA: Earlier you talked about the benefits of the new SRAM cable system – what impact does it have on your riding?
Levi: I have a rain bike that uses a fully sealed cable system so I'm partial to the Gore cables for that. Now I'm using the new Sram/Gore cables on my race bike and the shift action is so smooth – I'd say 40% smoother - and that makes a huge difference in a long race. During some longer races I''ve actually suffered from tendinitis from shifting so much. With all the gears we have now you end up shifting much more frequently and you'd be surprised at how much effort that can take during a long day. Those cables definitely make it easier so it's not as hard on the body.


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