After a rough and tumble first half of the Tour de France, Astana is hoping things will go their way in Saturday’s decisive time trial. Team captains Andréas Klöden and Alexander Vinokourov were battered and bruised and nearly abandoned the Tour, but the team is hoping the pair will be able to finally shake off the effects of a nasty crash in stage 5 to assume what everyone thought would be their position atop the Tour peloton. “We had a crisis physically. We never gave up,” Astana manager Marc Biver told VeloNews. “We never had tensions or a bad mood on the team. We always had a good ambiance at the dinner today.” Biver said Klöden’s injury to his coccyx shouldn’t hamper his time-trial position and added that Klöden’s sometimes-moody demeanor is improving. “I don’t think it’s a problem for Andréas on the time-trial bike. The saddle position is even easier because you sit more on the upper part of the seat. I don’t have any worries about that,” Biver said. “I was a long time with him yesterday in the room. We talked about the weather, the family and occasionally about his condition. He’s getting better and better and he’s sleeping very well. He was very relaxed. I haven’t seen him so relaxed in a long time.” The Swiss manager said there’s no problem between Klöden and Vinokourov over who takes control of the team leadership. “Absolutely not. The team is going to do the strategy day by day. There are no instructions so far,” he said. “Klöden and Vino' are protected and the one who has the better chance in the GC will be the leader. That’s a decision we take day by day.” Concerning Vinokourov, who showed signs of life in Thursday’s stage when he drove an echelon across the windy route, Biver was confident: “Vino' is like a wounded tiger – he’s even more dangerous now.” Biver said the team wants the yellow jersey – but doesn’t expect miracles in Albi. “I don’t think we can take the jersey in Albi. I don’t think Andréas is looking ahead that far,” “The last time trial is a better day to dream for the yellow jersey. That is much better.”

Boonen to race Tour of California in 2008
Tour de France Stage 12 winner Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) told VeloNews he plans to race on American soil next year at the Amgen Tour of California.

The former world champion and two-time winner of the Tour of Flanders won his second Tour stage of this Tour on Friday, while wearing the green points-leader's jersey. Despite all of his European success, he said he’s looking forward to racing in America.

“I’m planning on it,” he said. “I want to do something else. I always go to [the Tour of] Qatar. Also, with the Specialized [in Morgan Hill, California], I think they’d like me there.”

Boonen is teammates with world and Olympic champion Paolo Bettini, who won stage 4 in San Luis Obispo.
Neal Rogers, VeloNews senior writer