Slipstream and High Road cycling teams in 2008 Tour de France

Slipstream/Chipotle's distinctive argyle jerseys will be seen at the 2008 Tour de France as organizers announced the 20 teams that will compete July 5 to 27.

Team High Road, the former T-Mobile team that relocated to the US this year, will also compete in the three-week long race through France.

Those choices mean that Slipstream's David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde (both formerly of CSC) and High Road's George Hincapie (formerly of Discovery) will likely compete in the race this year.

Unwilling to back down in a long-simmering feud with the UCI, ASO did not invite the Astana cycling team, which means no Tour de France for last year's champion, Alberto Contador, or No. 3, US's Levi Leipheimer.

Other teams invited:

Barloworld (GBr)
Gerolsteiner (Ger)
Team Milram (Ger)
Quick Step (Bel)
Silence-Lotto (Bel)
Team CSC (Den)
Caisse d'Epargne (Spa) 
Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spa)
Saunier-Duval-Scott (Spa), 
Bouygues Telecom (Fra)
Agritubel (Fra)
Crédit Agricole,  (Fra)
Cofidis,  (Fra)
Française des Jeux  (Fra)
AG2R La Mondiale (Fra)
Lampre (Ita)
Liquigas (Ita)
Rabobank (Ned).

Slipstream

Seventeen of the teams, including High Road, are on the ProTour. It's a real accomplishment for Slipstream, as well as Barloworld and Agritubel to make the list as they're ranked as Professional Continental teams, one rung down.

Slipstream, managed by form Postie Jonathan Vaughters, was created in 2007 and was one of the first to implement a strict anti-doping testing program for riders.

The team boasts two yellow jersey holders, Zabriskie and UK's David Millar. Other well-known members of the team include Tom Danielson, a former Discovery cyclist and previous winner of the Tour de Georgia.

There's a phone interview with team owner Doug Ellis at Reuters.

High Road

High Road changed its name last year after losing its sponsorship by T-Mobile. Its roster could feature Hincapie, one of four US riders to ever wear the yellow jersey, as well as Kim Kirchen of Luxemburg, who finished 7th overall in last year's Tour and Australia's Michael Rogers, who finished 9th overall in the 2006 Tour.