Still suffering the after-effects of being hit by a car on April 1, Levi Leipheimer has confirmed that will shortly confirm if he will be able to compete in the Amgen Tour of California.
The race begins on Sunday and with four days remaining, an announcement from the three-time winner is imminent. He stated earlier today on Twitter that he is undergoing ‘hours of physical therapy’ in order to try to make it.
“Sometimes our challenge is to arrive at the race and beat everybody and be the best and win,” the Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider told the Press Democrat this week. “But I think for me, this year's Tour of California, the challenge is to be able to make the start.
“Ever since April 1st when I got hit, I've been motivated to do everything possible and work as hard as I can to be able to make the start and meet that challenge.”
Leipheimer has an impressive history in the race. He has taken strong results in each of the six editions held to date, netting a stage plus the mountains classification in the inaugural event in 2006, winning the next three editions, then finishing third and second in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
He has an additional motivation to take part this year as the race begins in his home town of Santa Rosa.
Leipheimer had targeted the race as one of his top goals of the year but a big question mark was raised when he was hit by an elderly driver on April 1st, one day before the start of his scheduled participation in the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.
The initial diagnosis was bad bruising, but after he flew back to the US Leipheimer had further tests done in California and it was then confirmed that he had fractured his fibula.
He underwent physical therapy and was able to gradually start using an indoor trainer. As things progressed, he was able to expand on that.
“It was actually very painful to pedal, but helped to loosen up the muscles around everything. And the doctors said that the bone is stable. ... So after a couple weeks of purely being inside, I ventured outside,” he said last week. “First ride was very painful outside. And then about a week later, I was able to start to pedal normally, and that's about where I'm at now.”
If Leipheimer can take part, it seems unlikely that he will be able to challenge for the overall classification as his preparation has been so disrupted. However the race has a special significance for him, and he will likely derive a lot of satisfaction if he can indeed participate.
Whatever happens, he promised to continue in the sport until at least the end of 2013.
“I'm not gonna let it get me down or force me into retirement, that's for sure,” he said. “I have a two-year contract with Omega Pharma-QuickStep, so I'm guaranteed to ride again next year.”