US cyclists on 2007 Tour de France team rosters

See update: “Zabriskie and Vande Velde picked for Tour de France rosters”

Pro cycling teams are announcing their rosters for the 2007 Tour de France as the race starts in London in a little more than a week.

The US-based Discovery Channel pro cycling team is sending a squad led by California's Levi Leipheimer, winner of the Tour of California bicycle race in February. He'll be joined by US road champion George Hincapie.

The rest of Discovery's international cast is comprised of Alberto Contador, Vladimir Gusev, Egoi Martinez, Benjamin Noval, Sergio Paulinho, Yaroslav Popovych and Tomas Vaitkus.

No Danielson

Team manager Johann Bruyneel left off 2005 Tour of Georgia winner Tom Danielson, as his early season performances were marred by illness.

Bruyneel says he wants to put Leipheimer on the podium this year, his first with Discovery. Leipheimer finished 13th and 6th in 2006 and 2005 with Gerolsteiner, and 9th and 8th overall with Rabobank in 2004 and 2002.

(Discovery Channel also has announced it will participate in the inaugural Tour of Missouri bike race, Sept. 11-16.)

Predictor-Lotto also has named two Americans to its lineup for the Tour de France. They are Chris Horner, who finished 5th overall in the Tour de Romandie, and LA's Freddy Rodriguez, who specializes as a lead-out man for sprinter Robbie McEwen, who has 11 stage victories at the Tour.

CSC and T-Mobile

Yet to make an announcement is Team CSC, which is keeping Americans Bobby Julich, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde up in the air about their plans for July. (See “Zabriskie and Vande Velde picked for Tour de France rosters“)

Zabriskie, who in 2005 became only the third-American ever to win the yellow jersey, recently signed the UCI riders' antidoping commitment. He's the US time trial champion, but might be trumped by Fabian Cancellara, the world time trial champion. They both raced in this year's Giro d'Italia, however.

T-Mobile also is waiting, perhaps for results of some Euro national championships, to announce its lineup for the Tour. It could include Oregon's Aaron Olson, as well as Canadian Michael Barry.