A determined and confident Levi Leipheimer confronts the start of the 2007 Tour de France with new motivation after rejoining the American team Discovery Channel following a five-year run with foreign teams.

Leipheimer, 33, lines up Saturday in London as the top American hope for the final podium when the Tour ends July 29 in Paris.

“I think I am coming into this Tour a little fresher and a little off my best form. Last year, I was too good too early,” Leipheimer told the assembled media Thursday evening. “This year, I’ve tried to push that back because the end of the Tour this year is so difficult.”

Discovery Channel enters its second Tour without the presence of Lance Armstrong and the team’s strategy is a marked contrast when the Texan rode to a record seven straight Tour crowns.

Instead of building the entire team’s strategy around one leader, Discovery Channel will ride with more options. Leipheimer remains the team main GC contender, but others will have more freedom to fly than when they were working for the sure-bet of Armstrong.

“I am very proud to be the leader for the GC for the Discovery Channel team. We’re not set up like when Lance was here,” Leipheimer said. “I am not Lance Armstrong. There are other riders on the team. We are going to see a lot of Discovery jerseys in the attacks and the breakaways.”

Both men say that Astana poses a big challenge

Photo: Casey B. Gibson

Leipheimer said he will enjoy the support of the team, but also will be expecting to see other riders such as George Hincapie, Yaroslav Popovych, Vladimir Gusev and Alberto Contador in the hunt for stage victories.

“I think one of those guys will at least win one stage between them,” Leipheimer continued.

Both Leipheimer and Bruyneel cited Astana and the team’s threefold threat of Alexandre Vinokourov, Andreas Klöden and Andrey Kashechkin as the peloton’s most dangerous rival.

“Most of the peloton will be watching Astana. We have to keep an eye on Vinokourov, but also Klöden, who in my opinion is just as much as a favorite as Vinokourov,” he said. “We cannot give them any time anywhere, that’s for sure.”

Bruyneel said Discovery Channel will not carry the weight of the race like it did when Armstrong ruled the Tour roost. The Belgian director questioned the efficiency of having three riders at a team’s disposition.

“Astana is the strongest team on paper with three strong leaders," Bruyneel observed. "Is that a good thing? I don’t know."

"It’s been proven in the past that hasn’t been the best strategy," he noted. "I expect it to be a very open race. When you have three potential winners, maybe it’s an advantage this year.”

Bruyneel was also queried about whether Team CSC sport director Bjarne Riis – who recently admitted he used banned doping products to win the 1996 Tour – should be allowed to follow this year’s Tour in his current duties.

“He has made his confessions about an earlier time in his career and I don’t see any reason that Riis, in his current occupation, should not be able to attend the Tour,” Bruyneel said.

Riis announced earlier Thursday he would not be attending the Tour this year in order not to distract attention away from his riders.

Discovery Channel also announced it will be racing the Tour in specially designed jerseys with a green backdrop over the globe on the team’s logo to promote environmental awareness.

“It symbolizes an environmental awareness campaign with the team. Throughout the Tour, we are going to be off-setting all carbon emissions from team cars and we have other carbon-neutral programs,” explained team spokesman PJ Rabice. “During the Tour, when someone from the team wins a stage or wears a jersey, we will be planting trees in a wooded area near Levi’s house in California.”