Levi Leipheimer loses home in California fires
The retired pro cyclist lost his house in the devastating wildfires that have burned through California's wine country.
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The photograph told the devastation. Retired pro cyclist Levi Leipheimer stood stoically in front of the ruins of his home in Sonoma County, California.
“I lost my house but not my home in Sonoma County,” Leipheimer wrote on Instagram. “We will make it through.”
The destruction was complete, and Leipheimer stood wearing a face mask as he stared at the rubble that was his home in Santa Rosa.
Odessa Gunn, Leipheimer’s former wife and an animal rights activist, also posted a photo of what remained of their home.
“So sad to say goodbye to the best home I’ve ever lived in,” she wrote. “Broken hearted.”
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Wildfires have devastated the region since Sunday, destroying more than 2,000 structures and leaving 17 dead.
Others in the cycling community have been affected as well. Trek-Segafredo rider Peter Stetina also lives in the area, and on October 9 after racing the Giro di Lombardia in Italy, he posted a note on Facebook indicating his family, pets, and home “are currently OK.”
Silvano Rastelli, a bus driver at the Slipstream Sports organization, also lost his home and a pet cat in the fires. A fundraising effort was started to help him out.