Amgen Tour of California, 2010: What's wrong with this picture?

October 27, 6:58 PMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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Courtesy of Amgen Tour of California

Since last week's 2010 race announcement, I've visited the Amgen Tour of California web site and other web sites featuring the image to the left. It looked different, but I couldn't figure out why.

Now I've figured it out. It's a computer-generated composite, which is fine. The problem: Most everything about the image is wrong.

Let's start with the rider in the Yellow Jersey. Chances are it's supposed to be Levi Leipheimer, since he's worn the race leader's jersey more any rider in the race's four years. But is that Leipheimer with a moustache and goatee? Or, doesn't the image look a little more like Floyd Landis than Leipheimer?

And if it is Leiphemer, maybe it's his face and someone else's body? Levi is "lean and mean." He doesn't have track sprinter's legs. Are those Marty Nothstein's legs?

And here's some other stuff:

* It's hard to tell, but Leipheimer (or Landis?) appears to riding a time trial bike. If so, what's the peloton doing there in the background?

* And where are they riding? It looks the the Big Sur coastline and the Bixby Bridge. The race doesn't go near there next year and nor did it this year.

* Who are those people? If it's the Big Sur coastline, how did they get there and why are they 10 rows deep on a stretch of road where a rather large crowd would never gather?

* See the woman with the bike with purple wheels? Just what is that?

* In its previous editions, the Tour of California has been held in February. In 2010, it will be held in May. Why are the hills in the image brown? Wouldn't happen in either month.

Anything I'm missing?

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