Levi Leipheimer makes Levi’s GranFondo's hardest race, the Growler, a race: "I’ve always wanted to make it a race"

In 2009, Levi Leipheimer won the Tour of California for the third consecutive year. It was also the year he launched his biggest post-retirement project: the mass participation cycling event Levi’s GranFondo. The event will return for its 15th edition this April and to mark the occasion, Leipheimer is shaking things up a bit.

"I’ve always wanted to make it a race," Leipheimer tells Velo. "I moved to Sonoma County purely because I fell in love with the roads. When I was training there for 22 years, I would dream about big races coming through."

This year, the 'Growler', always the longest distance on offer at Levi’s GranFondo, will be a proper race, with a cash purse and significant traffic control. The start list is already teeming with professionals from various disciplines including Lachlan Morton, Peta Mullens, Ian Boswell, Sarah Sturm, Peter Stetina, Heather Jackson, and Petr Vakoc.

"A road race like this, on paper, the stats equal a Liège-Bastogne-Liège or a Il Lombardia,¨" he said. "That doesn’t exist in the US. So, we’re doing our part, and I think it’s a big part. Road racing needs a resuscitation."