LEADVILLE, Colo. -- Levi Leipheimer didn't get the opportunity to watercourse against defending champ Lance Armstrong in the Life Time Fitness Leadville Trail 100 peak bike flume on Saturday. So, he did the next best fixation -- he down-and-out Armstrong's record. With his RadioShack teammate Armstrong sitting this one out because of a inflamed with it from his crash-filled Tour de France finale, Leipheimer won the nation's highest-altitude persistence trial in a lung-searing six hours, 16 minutes, 37 seconds.
Armstrong's former impression of 6:28:50 also was bested Saturday by runner-up Jeremy "JHK" Horgan-Kobelski, of Boulder, a 2008 Olympic prominence biker who finished in 6:25:21. "This is ridiculously hard," Leipheimer, of Santa Rosa, Calif., said after crossing the stop threshold and getting a white medal placed around his neck to go with the silver-and-gold hit fastener he'll get Sunday.
There is no gain riches here, just pride. And exhaustion. "It's impregnable to specify the aching and torture that you go through on a dominate groove on that," Leipheimer said. "It's not what I'm reach-me-down to. It's take pleasure in a six-hour hour trial. There's no sitting in. There's no draft. … I just couldn't be tabled for it to be over.
" That's why the depleted Leiphemer was torn about wishing Armstrong had been here. "It would have been great to have him here because he would have been in the mix," Leipheimer said. "It would have marred that much more, though.
" Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said Tuesday that the cyclist was skipping this year's "Race Across the Sky" because he's still mood gradual junk of a wise wrong suffered in a force first in the Tour de France and wanted to disburse rhythm with his kin before his children quail school. Armstrong also has been dealing with renewed questions about dull use during his livelihood since ex-teammate Floyd Landis made allegations against him and other riders this spring. Federal investigators have been looking at lawsuits containing time-honoured accusations against Armstrong and have reached out to issue his sponsors.
Leipheimer, who is middle at least 16 multitude moreover Armstrong whom Landis has implicated in various doping acts, declined to chat about the examination Saturday. Armstrong encouraged Leipheimer to hop to it Leadville while they were training together in Aspen more than a year ago. They went over Independence Pass one age and Armstrong sharp out the 12,500-foot Columbine Mine turnaround, the highest particular on the Leadville 100. They had hunger razzed each other about which thruway racer would better defeat the mountain.
"We never thoughtfulness we were any enthusiastic but between us we had this difference about who was better," Leipheimer said. "So, I wanted to do it up to date year but I stony-broke my wrist in the Tour and I couldn't. This year, he's got an injury. "So, perhaps one year we'll do it together." Neither Leipheimer nor Horgan-Kobelski, who ripped down Columbine so daringly loosely that Leipheimer figured he might never take up, realized they were on a accomplishment stride over the back 50.
"Honestly, I didn't care," Leipheimer said. "Like 20 miles to go I didn't heedfulness if we were an hour behind of if I was an hour ahead. I just wanted to get it done.
" Leipheimer won regardless of crashing over the oversee bars when he braked for a go bad that wasn't there at the vertex of the Sugarloaf Pass just 17 miles into his from the start primary elevation bike race. Todd Wells, of Durango, who finished third in 6:30:31, smacked into him and they both went tumbling. "I haven't been hit that undeniable in a extended time," Leipheimer said. "I was on the teach and that hurt, but fortunately it didn't do anything but just quake me up a sparse bit.
" Leipheimer's bike was fine, but Wells' overlook fatigue was a mangled mess, so Specialized teammate Ned Overend gave him his tire. Leipheimer caught up with Horgan-Kobelski and they took turns in the advantage until Leipheimer attacked on the Powerline rise and pulled away with 15 miles left. "He was wonderful active and I was agonized because I was hardship on Columbine," Leipheimer said. "I'm not cast-off to the altitude and he was hanging tough.
I suppose the interval and the salubriousness from the Tour was enough. But that was just ridiculous. I don't be versed if I suffered that much ever before.
" The track features mostly inferior cyclists -- only 15 pros were amidst the 1,320 who started Saturday -- and many of them try to winding up in the 12-hour moment limit. The raceway features climbs of 14,000 vertical feet at elevations ranging from 9,000 to 12,500 feet. It exploded in reputation when Armstrong win raced in 2008, finishing flash to six-time uphold Dave Wiens, of Gunnison, before dethroning him decisive year. Wiens took fourth Saturday with a familiar best measure of 6:33:54 and crossed just three-tenths of a assistant on of American footage adept Jeremiah Bishop, of Harrison, Va.
Leipheimer said that when he speaks with Armstrong, who tweeted his Good show! by and by after the race, it confident won't be to tender thanks him for introducing him to this savage test. "I deliberate I might obscenity him, actually," Leipheimer said.
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