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Tour de France 2008 – 20 Teams Receive Invite

March 20, 2008 — The Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) announced today that 20 teams have been invited to the 2008 edition of the Tour de France. Each team will select nine cyclists to compete at the TdF which runs from July 5″”27 this year, starting in Brittany (western France) and finishing along the Champs Elysees in Paris. ASO notes that the team selection is conditional on all the teams respecting the ethics and the loyalty that should be present in cycling.

Astana, whose roster includes defending TdF champion Alberto Contador, was the only ProTour team that did not receive an invite to the 2008 TdF. Meanwhile, three continental professional teams were invited: Agritubel, Barloworld and Slipstream-Chipotle.

Two Canadians ride for two of the teams invited – Michael Barry (High Road) and Ryder Hesjedal (Slipstream Chipotle). It is not known yet if either or both will compete at the world’s most prestigious bike race.

Tour de France 2008 runs from Saturday, July 5 to Sunday July 27, 2008. The 95th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500km.

These 21 stages have the following profiles:
– 10 flat stages,
– 5 mountain stages,
– 4 medium mountain stages,
– 2 individual time-trial stages.

Distinctive aspects of the race:
– 4 mountain finishes,
– rest days,
– 82 kilometres of individual time-trials,
– 19 Category 1, Category 2 and highest level passes will be climbed.

Here is the team selection for the 2008 Tour de France by country of origin:

Belgium
– Quickstep (QST)
– Silence – Lotto (SIL)

Denmark
– Team CSC (CSC)

France
– AG2R – La Mondiale (ALM)
– Agritubel (AGR)
– Bouygues Telecom (BTL)
РCofidis Le cr̩dit par t̩l̩phone (COF)
– Credit Agricole (C.A)
РFran̤aise Des Jeux (FDJ)

Germany
– Gerolsteiner (GST)
– Team Milram (MRM)

Great Britain
– Barloworld (BAR)

Italy
– Lampre (LAM)
– Liquigas (LIQ)

Netherlands
– Rabobank (RA

Spain
– Caisse d’Epargne (GCE)
– Euskaltel – Euskadi (EUS)
– Saunier Duval – Scott (SDV)

USA
– High Road (THR)
– Slipstream Chipotle (TSL)

For info visit www.letour.fr





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