Leipheimer leads Gerolsteiner in "the little Tour de France"

Levi Leipheimer will lead Team Gerolsteiner in the Dauphiné Libéré, and his directeur sportif Christian Henn expects "at least another top ten placing." Last year the American finished third overall in "the little Tour de France," as the team calls it. The race goes over some of the same roads as the bigger Tour, but more importantly, "It's our chance to see where we are for the Tour." According to Henn, "We want to know where we stand. This is not training for us, but a race. And one in which we want to play an important role."

For the expected sprint finishes in the first two stages, the team will be looking to David Kopp and Peter Wrolich. After that the climbers will come into their own - Fabian Wegmann and Ronny Scholz, and especially Leipheimer.