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Leipheimer closing in on '08 contract

Californian is “sad” about Discovery Channel team’s end-of-season demise

Published: Aug. 22, 2007
Leipheimer's Tour performance sure didn't hurt his marketability.
Leipheimer's Tour performance sure didn't hurt his marketability.
Photo: Graham Watson

Levi Leipheimer says he is “sad” that the Discovery Channel team won’t continue after this year and that he is having to look for a new team, especially as he is enjoying his “best season ever.” But after finishing on the podium at the Tour de France and winning the Tour of California and two stages of the Tour de Georgia this year, Leipheimer should have no trouble finding a new sponsor for 2008.

But he would rather stay put at Discovery. Asked to comment about the team’s departure from the sport at the end of 2007, Leipheimer said in a telephone interview with VeloNews Tuesday night, “It’s sad, because the team was so professional and I felt so comfortable here and so very, very confident. From the moment I signed my contract last year to come back [to the team] I think I was happier, and I was really looking forward to this year. I was super motivated this [past] winter, I trained really, really hard … and really hard in the spring and all the way up to the Tour. The result is I had my best season ever. It’s sad.”

Because of his great 2007 results and his continued zest for racing at age 33, Leipheimer is confident about his future. He said that with regard to signing with a new team, “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

He added that his agent, the Belgian Paul De Guyter of Sports & Entertainment Management, is handling negotiations with several teams. SEM’s other clients include Tom Boonen and Robbie McEwen. As for when negotiations are likely to be complete, Leipheimer said, “It always seems to take longer than you’d like, with all these talks, and going back and forth. I don’t know, maybe 10 days.”

When it was suggested that he was looking for a team as good as Discovery, he said, “Yeah, that would be nice. There are definitely some teams I’d like to go to, but whether they are looking for a guy like me, I don’t know.”

He should find out by the end of next week.