Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, left, is trying to curb speculation that he's changing teams; he says he'll stay with his current team, which is switching its title sponsorship to San Francisco-based iShares next season.
Landis was brought onto the Swiss-based Phonak-sponsored team for 2005 after wrapping up three years on Lance Armstrong's US Postal Service team. Landis immediately replaced Tyler Hamilton, who had been booted from the team after doping allegations arose.
He told CyclingNews that he would remain with his current team. However, Landis was quoted in a Scripps Howard News Service piece that he's been talking with Discovery for a couple of months.
Meanwhile, Levi Leipheimer signed with the Discovery Channel team.
Leipheimer was the 2nd highest American finisher at the Tour de France in 13th place. This will be his second stint as a member of the team that struggled this year without Lance Armstrong.
Leipheimer makes the change in 2007. As leader of the German-based Gerolsteiner team, Leipheimer won the Tour of Germany in 2005 and the Dauphiné Libéré this year.
Landis, the third American to win the Tour de France after Armstrong and Greg Lemond, is facing hip replacement surgery this fall. Depending on the date of the surgery, he's planning a number of rides before then.
Landis is scheduled to compete in two criterium rides in the Netherlands this week, and a criterium in Chicago on Aug. 13. He may also ride in the week-long Tour of Britain that starts in Glasgow Aug. 29 and ends in London on September 3.
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