our de France third-place finisher Levi Leipheimer has decided to migrate to the Astana team for next season, where several of his former Discovery Channel teammates and director Johan Bruyneel have already landed.Leipheimer, who turns 34 on Wednesday, told ESPN.com he signed a two-year contract with the team, which is based in Switzerland but bankrolled by business interests in Kazakhstan.



The Montana native had the best season of his career in 2007, winning the Tour of California and reaching the Tour de France podium before capturing the U.S. national road championship for the first time.
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/1023/oly_ap_leipheimer_300.jpg (http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=3076225#)AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski
Levi Leipheimer finished third overall at this year's Tour de France.




"A lot of that has to do with Johan and the staff and how comfortable I am with them," Leipheimer said. "It works for me, so why should I change it?
"It's not the exact same riders, but there will be the same philosophy and understanding there."


Discovery opted to fold after this season when its primary sponsor pulled out and finding a replacement proved elusive despite young Spanish rider Alberto Contador's victory in a topsy-turvy Tour de France.


Bruyneel, who also guided Lance Armstrong to all seven of his Tour victories, initially said he would retire, but was tempted back by an offer to become Astana's general manager -- a more administrative role than the hands-on position he held with Discovery.


Contador also signed with Astana and several assistant directors, including longtime pros Sean Yates and Viatcheslav Ekimov, are following Bruyneel.
Leipheimer said he's at ease with the fact that he'll be regarded as a co-leader with Contador. He expects the team to work for the rider who is in better form in a given race, he said.


"I've had a steady progression, and I got to the point this year where I feel like I can win the Tour," Leipheimer said. "We'll go in next year like we did this year. We'll have a defending champion and another guy who can win it. You have to keep your options open, but it's better to have two guys who can win the Tour than just one."


Astana's new regime is sure to face some skepticism from cycling officials, the media and the public after the team's problem-plagued 2007 campaign. Under old management, the team was criticized for possibly trying to evade drug testing, a charge ex-director Marc Biver denied.


Then two of its top riders, pre-Tour favorite Alexandre Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin, failed doping tests for illicit transfusions -- Vinokourov at the Tour and Kashechkin during a random test while training a week later. Both are disputing the test results.


Leipheimer said he had no hesitation about signing with Astana despite the questions that may follow the team next year and the political and doping controversies that continue to impede the sport.


"I'm certainly not going to give up because of what's happened," he said. "The sport is changing for the better, going in the right direction, and I'm excited to see that."


Leipheimer, a former downhill skier, began his bike racing career as an amateur in Belgium and rode with the U.S. Postal Service team -- Discovery's precursor -- as a developing pro. His first big breakthrough came at the 2001 Tour of Spain, where he bumped teammate Roberto Heras off the podium in the final time trial to place third.


The leadership bottleneck created by Armstrong's presence prompted Leipheimer to leave Postal and ride as the leader for two European teams -- Netherlands-based Rabobank and the German Gerolsteiner team. He logged three top-10 finishes in the Tour from 2002-06 before he opted to return to Bruyneel's squad for the 2007 season.


Leipheimer is married to former Canadian racer Odessa Gunn. The two met while training for the U.S. Championships in Philadelphia and share a common passion for animal rescue causes. They split their time between homes in Girona, Spain and Santa Rosa, Calif.

Hey Levi, go F- yourself...

This sport is depressing.

Tour de France third-place finisher Levi Leipheimer has decided to migrate to the Astana team for next season.


GOD I HATE THIS!! :mad2:

Every time Levi does something to make me like him, he does something else to p1ss me off! I'm so effing sick of Astana! I'm so effing sick of Johan Bruyneel! :mad2:

Was this the whole sale auction for Lot numer 1 from Discovery... Johan, Levi, Contador, Yates....

What are my bids... do I hear 10 rupi... 20 rupi ... or what ever they spend in kockistan...

Levi is a turd and he ended up on the Astana sh_t pile with all the others. He is right where he belongs.

why all the hostility?

Festana will be awesome next year.

why all the hostility?

Good question, because it's not like I care, as much as I'm just beaten down by a series of disappointments involving Astana, Bruyneel, and Leipheimer.

Maybe I'm a cynic, but I have the sneaking suspicion the Disco boys looked around, wondering "Where can I go that has the best chance of bankrolling a primo doping program without getting caught." I have NOTHING to base that on, other than Johan's boys have never been caught, and Kazakhstan, with its outlandish oil revenues, may be willing to spend whatever it takes to put together a winning program.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'....

Festana will be awesome next year.


LOL! LOL! LOL!

these guys aren't even trying.

these guys aren't even trying.
Seriously...

I would be less surprised if Levi held a press conference and had Johan stick an EPO syringe in his butt.

Good question, because it's not like I care, as much as I'm just beaten down by a series of disappointments involving Astana, Bruyneel, and Leipheimer.

Maybe I'm a cynic, but I have the sneaking suspicion the Disco boys looked around, wondering "Where can I go that has the best chance of bankrolling a primo doping program without getting caught." I have NOTHING to base that on, other than Johan's boys have never been caught, and Kazakhstan, with its outlandish oil revenues, may be willing to spend whatever it takes to put together a winning program.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'....

That is an astounding amount of speculation!

Bruyneel is one of if not THE premier strategist in cycling. You can't even say his guys won with dope, because everyone was doping.

Without speculating about illegal activity lets put ourselves in Levi's shoes...

your an aging cyclist. You got one maybe two years of good competative riding left in you. You have numerous top ten finishes at de Tour, last year you came in third. You think you have a good shot at winning de Tour and crowning an already great career...

Now why wouldn't you go with the best director in the game, the one who put you on the podium last year?


Astana has had a tainted past (or beginning) but what team doesn't have skeletons in the closet these days?

And what are we to make of the CSC testing plan Astana is adopting? Are we saying this testing plan is a joke? If so than isn't CSC just as dirty as Astana, and if so why aren't they getting the same public lashing?

Has cycling had its problems? SURE... but this has turned into a witch hunt. We as cycling fans need to start exercising benifit of doubt. We need to give these teams a chance at closing the books on doping. For a long time doping was part of the business but things are changing and we need to support what teams we have left. Sponsors are leaving the sport at an alarming rate and the negativity expressed by cyclings core fanbase is just hadding fuel to the fire.

I for one hope Levi has a great season with Astana. I like Levi's candor in his interviews. I believe Levi in yellow would do a lot for US cycling.

What happened to Kloden? Is he still listed with Astana? If so, that's a big bottleneck at the top...

Bruyneel is one of if not THE premier strategist in cycling.


An often repeated myth.

for the last 15 years winning the tour has been about two things

1. Horsepower
2. Not getting caught trying to increase #1

Having your team ride at the front all day does not take brains, it takes a great doctor. If Bruyneel was a great strategist Disco/Postal would have won races were tactics matter, the classics. His record in the spring is pathetic, as was the 2006 Tour. The Doctor must have been on vaction as they barely cracked the top 20....perhaps you could explain the great tactics needed to finish an hour back?

Bruyneel is the Phil Jackson of cycling.

Festana will be awesome next year.

how bout : Festanavery?

What happened to Kloden? Is he still listed with Astana? If so, that's a big bottleneck at the top...

from the AP writeup:
<i>
The 34-year-old will hope to shine in next year's Tour, where he considers himself as one of the favourites. The stage-race specialist, who's got overall wins in the Deutschland Tour and in the Dauphiné Libéré on his long list of wins, will likely co-captain the formation together with Contador and Andreas Klöden.
</i>
that can't end well...

That is an astounding amount of speculation!

Bruyneel is one of if not THE premier strategist in cycling. You can't even say his guys won with dope, because everyone was doping.

Without speculating about illegal activity lets put ourselves in Levi's shoes...

your an aging cyclist. You got one maybe two years of good competative riding left in you. You have numerous top ten finishes at de Tour, last year you came in third. You think you have a good shot at winning de Tour and crowning an already great career...

Now why wouldn't you go with the best director in the game, the one who put you on the podium last year?




It makes good sense to align yourself with the best DS, but more importantly you need a strong team. I think that out weighs any kind of strategy that Bruyneel can pull out of his hat. Also, the defending champion is on the same team! That can't be good for Levi. I think we will see a repeat of this year, the team resources won't be directed to Levi alone.
What's more surprising is why other teams without a true GT contender did not sign him. He would have provided a lot of publicity and motivation for the team. Again, I think there is more than meets the eye when these kinds of contracts are made.

I feel bad for Kloden. The guy can never get straight up leadership. I think he could have won it all this year if he would have went in as "the" protected rider. And if those dipshits on his team wouldn't have done wrong.

That is an astounding amount of speculation! Granted -- happens all the time on these boards.

Bruyneel is one of if not THE premier strategist in cycling. You can't even say his guys won with dope, because everyone was doping. I can say it, but, as you say, it's speculation. I think there are different levels of doping techniques -- some programs are better than others.
Without speculating about illegal activity lets put ourselves in Levi's shoes...

your an aging cyclist. You got one maybe two years of good competative riding left in you. You have numerous top ten finishes at de Tour, last year you came in third. You think you have a good shot at winning de Tour and crowning an already great career...

Now why wouldn't you go with the best director in the game, the one who put you on the podium last year? Because he's directing a top-heavy team with two GC contenders that are stronger riders than me.

Astana has had a tainted past (or beginning) but what team doesn't have skeletons in the closet these days? None of the good ones, but are any more tainted than Astana? Believe me, I was an Astana fan until July.

And what are we to make of the CSC testing plan Astana is adopting? Are we saying this testing plan is a joke? If so than isn't CSC just as dirty as Astana, and if so why aren't they getting the same public lashing? I have to admit I didn't realize Astana was adopting the CSC testing plan. If they are, good on 'em.

Has cycling had its problems? SURE... but this has turned into a witch hunt. We as cycling fans need to start exercising benifit of doubt. We need to give these teams a chance at closing the books on doping. For a long time doping was part of the business but things are changing and we need to support what teams we have left. Sponsors are leaving the sport at an alarming rate and the negativity expressed by cyclings core fanbase is just hadding fuel to the fire. Mostly I agree with you. I like several pro cycling teams. I have a really tough time accepting Astana. Let me see some clean tests. Too big a legacy of doping.
I for one hope Levi has a great season with Astana. I like Levi's candor in his interviews. I believe Levi in yellow would do a lot for US cycling. Actually I hope he has a great season too. I don't have any ill will towards Levi, I just wonder about the match, Levi-Astana. Personally, I think it was a very weird move. I'll be rooting for him in the Tour, but I don't think he's got much of a chance with Astana.

Everyone brings up a good point about why Levi would want to step into such a top heavy team.

I think that Levi is a much better GC rider than Contador. This past tour was very strange because we saw a climbing specialist dictate GC leaderboard. In most years we would see the GC ride more conservatively in the mountains, attack strategically, and let the weight weenies fight it out on the rest of the hills for the polka dots. When the chicken got cooked Contador was in the perfect position to benefit. Without the super chicken, Levi stands to be a better GC contender.

Now I have to admit I forgot all about Kloden, as it seems so has everyone else including his team. Kloden is a very strong well rounded rider like Levi. I see Kloden as more competition for the lead than Levi. If it wasn't for team orders, I'd call Kloden my favorite for the tour next year.

What wonder is what would happen if Levi heard what Johan has been telling Contador, and vice versa. I bet it would all sound oddly familiar to them!

The interesting thing is last year Astana could have landed on its feet after Vino went down, the crash that is not the other thing. It would have been a difficult call to drop Vino in favor of a health Kloden. I'm sure Vino could have man'd up and pulled himself but that seems really out of character for the attack monkey. If the team starts pulling for Vino, Vino saves the blood for a ranny day and Astana lands on the podium. But then we'd still have a dirty Astana in the Pro Tour (assuming Johan is cleaning things up).

Everyone brings up a good point about why Levi would want to step into such a top heavy team.

I think that Levi is a much better GC rider than Contador. This past tour was very strange because we saw a climbing specialist dictate GC leaderboard. In most years we would see the GC ride more conservatively in the mountains, attack strategically, and let the weight weenies fight it out on the rest of the hills for the polka dots. When the chicken got cooked Contador was in the perfect position to benefit. Without the super chicken, Levi stands to be a better GC contender.

Now I have to admit I forgot all about Kloden, as it seems so has everyone else including his team. Kloden is a very strong well rounded rider like Levi. I see Kloden as more competition for the lead than Levi. If it wasn't for team orders, I'd call Kloden my favorite for the tour next year.

If Astana decided on a strategy of maximizing the team's chances to win, and shift stage-to-stage tactics and in-stage tactics to do that, I'm not sure anyone could beat them in the Tour. After all, they have 3 favorites to win any stage race on the calendar. How does this sound: Levi for the Tour (since I'm an American), Contador for his home Vuelta, and Klodi for the Giro... Sorta kidding... but sorta not.

Astana has a kick azz team with Kloden, Leipheimer and Contador. Not to mention Noval and Brajkovic adding in as well amongst the other Disco boyz.

Grand Tour win next year? Hell yeah they are in strong contention for sure.

I feel bad for Kloden. The guy can never get straight up leadership. I think he could have won it all this year if he would have went in as "the" protected rider. And if those dipshits on his team wouldn't have done wrong.

Problem is, cycling teams are nationally biased. American sponsors want american winners, german sponsors want a german winner. He was in the shadow of ullrich for long, due to Ullrichs immense popularity. There were probably no other viable option for a german to become undisputed leader at that point.

On the other hand, Cadel Evans managed to become leader of lotto, so perhaps Klöden valued money over fame, otherwise he would have gone with another team.

Looking at the top 10 differences, it is easy to understand that you can't win the TdF if you have to wait for your captain to show weakness, before you are allowed to ride your race. Klöden had a very good chance at winning this year, he was totally on par with Cadel in the TT, even though he fell on a slippery corner. Now, I don't think Klöden is ever gonna win TdF, which is a shame, as I think he was as much a talent as Ullrich was. Physically, anyway.

Now that Fuentes has gone down, I think the chances are best that one of Bruyneels proteges will win again.

I don't get all this hostility. A rider or director goes with what's best for his career. Do we hate & curse the name ofpeople who work for microsoft or google?

I don't get all this hostility. A rider or director goes with what's best for his career. Do we hate & curse the name ofpeople who work for microsoft or google?
Your comparison is a little off. If Levi would have signed with Slipstream it would be like going to Google/Micro. Instead going to Astana is like signing with the New England Patriots, successful, yet tainted. So what is the attraction for Levi? It leaves one only to wonder. Hmmm. I wonder why he blew away the field at the US Championships? I wonder, wonder, wonder. What could it be? Hmmmm.