OK, so here comes the 2008 edition...with all of the team shakeups and sponsor bail outs, here's the team lineup for this year's race:
Astana...now Johan Bruyneel's team and representing Luxembourg rather than Kazakhstan. Riding the Trek bikes will include Levi Leipheimer, last year's winner, 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, Chris Horner and youngster Jani Brajkovic.
Gerolsteiner...still riding Specialized bikes. Notable names include Davide Rebellin, Fabian Wegmann, Robert Förster and Stefan Schumacher.
Bouygues Telecom...While they are a ProTour team, they don't instill fear in anybody, the only names I recognize on their roster are Pierrick Fedrigo, Anthony Geslin, Laurent Lefevre, Jerome Pineau, Matthieu Sprick and Thomas Voekler...nobody there really blows up my skirt...they're riding Time machines
Kelly Benefit...a young continental team out of Minneapolis with some up and comers in Canadian David Veilleux and American Ben King...riding Lemond bikes
Healthnet...the top continental team on this side of the pond...the team is lead by Aussie Rory Sutherland and is joined by American Phil Zajicek this year...riding on Cannondales
Rock Racing...an emerging in 2008 that will be riding in the continental circuit and has a few big names, albeit maybe over the hill: Colombian Santiago Botero, Spain's Oscar Sevilla, former Armstrong lieutenant Victor Hugo Peña, American sprinter Fast Freddie Rodriguez, back from his doping ban, American Tyler Hamilton...they'll ride De Rosa machines
Jelly Belly...riding on GTR Team bikes, this team is full of youngsters looking to make a name on the domestic circuit
Quick Step...a UCI ProTour team from Belgium that should be no stranger to anybody that has watched cycling over the last five years...Quick Step is known for being a sprinting team and rarely competes in the GC in the Grand Tours...It's TBD which of their riders will make the trip over for this one but you have to think the only reason they're in this race is because of the Specialized bikes they ride
High Road...this is the former T-Mobile Team led by George Hincapie and should include Aussie Michael Rogers as well as young American John Devine...they are still on Giants
Team CSC...back again on their Cervelos...Their roster includes, Swiss World Time Trial Champion Fabian Cancellara, German Jens Voigt, Aussie Stuart O'Grady, Spaniard Carlos Sastre, Fränk and Andy Schleck, brothers from Luxembourg, old school American Bobby Julich and Argentinian Juan José Haedo, although it's unlikely all of them will be in California
Rabobank...with Michael Rasmussen gone from the team, don't expect Rabobank to fade into the hills...Their roster includes Antonio Flecha, three-time World Cycling Champion Óscar Freire, Denis Menchov and Thomas Dekker...they're on Colnago bikes
Credit Agricole...one of the older ProTour teams...still riding on Look machines...team leader Thor Hushovd and Italian Piétro Caucchioli are among those on their roster
Toyota-United...following up on a strong TOC last year...this domestic team has a lot of new faces for 2008
Saunier-Duval...this team had a lot of success in 2007, they'll return to California on Scott bikes...David Canada Gracia and Rubens Bertogliati have name value as well as Leonardo Piepoli who won KOM at last year's Giro
Team Slipstream...they'll remain on the domestic circuit this year despite overtures to the contrary towards the end of last season...riding Felt bikes...Jonathan Vaughter's squad will consist of a number of ProTour riders such as US Time Trial champ Dave Zabriskie, Christian Vande Velde, David Millar, Magnus Backstedt, Julian Dean, and former Discovery Channel riders Tom Danielson and Trent Lowe...if there is any chance of a US team getting into the Tour de France this year, this would be it, but don't hold your breath, those wildcard team entries are primarily reserved for European teams that the Tour is rolling through.
BMC...obviously riding BMC machines...Swiss rider Alex Moos is likely to be team leader but the roster also includes ex-Disco boy Antonio Cruz and former HealthNet rider Jeff Louder.
The race starts on Sunday at Stanford so I'll be back when the rosters are announced officially
