Levi Leipheimer News

Lance Armstrong will compete in next year's Tour of California, which will feature route changes and be moved from February to May to avoid the rainy season.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is no stranger to cycling locally - he rode in the Nevada City Classic this last June.

Since last week's 2010 race announcement, I've visited the Amgen Tour of California web site and other web sites featuring the image to the left.

Stage 7: May 22 -- Los Angeles Stage 8: May 23: Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village, Augora Hills Images: Felix Adamo Felix Adamo / The Californian When it was announced that the 2010 Tour of California will be coming through Bakersfield, bike riders in attendance brought into applause.

Escondido took center stage in the cycling world in February when thousands of fans watched as Levi Leipheimer won his third straight Tour of California.

The 8 day statewide race kicks off May 16 in Nevada City and will end in Sacramento.

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California, May 16 to 23, was announced Thursday with the race consisting of eight stages across America's sunshine state.

The host cities and dates for the Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race were announced today, as were several of its high-profile entrants, including American Lance Armstrong.

Race and various city officials aren't commenting, but it appears the 2010 Amgen Tour of California will start in Nevada City on May 16 with a road race to Sacramento, according to several cycling web sites and The Sacramento Bee .

Davide de la Fuente is poised to join Astana for 2010. Spanish head-banger Davide de la Fuente is close to penning a deal that will put him in an Astana jersey in 2010.

Bend's Chris Horner closed his 2009 season with his Astana teammates at the Giro di Lombardia in Italy.

Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team has been granted a ProTour license that guarantees the American outfit entry into next year's Tour de France, the International Cycling Union said on Friday.

Photograph: Ian Langsdon/EPA In a development that could have implications for Team Sky and Bradley Wiggins , the future of the Tour de France winner Alberto Contador's Astana team has reportedly been secured with a new threea 'year sponsorship.

Fly V's team director Henk Vogels. Photo: Isabelle Vachon The Fly V Australia team is a bit of an enigma.

Santa Rosa seems to be one of the few cities in California to know, for sure, that it's going to be a host city on the 2010 Tour of California bike race.

Professional cyclist Levi Leipheimer of Santa Rosa, shown waving, crosses the finish line of the King Ridge Gran Fondo, a European-style cycling event he hosted in his hometown this past Sunday.

Photo: Carl Burchfiel It wasn't a race. There was no prize money or podium ceremony.

Horner left the Vuelta after hitting the deck in stage 4. Photo: Graham Watson Chris Horner has signed with Team RadioShack for the next two seasons, according to an Oregon newspaper.

Leipheimer says the King Ridge Gran Fondo will show that "Sonoma County is a cycling heaven." An expected 3,500 cyclists will take to the streets of Santa Rosa, California, at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning for the start of the inaugural King Ridge Gran Fondo, a mass-participation ride promoted by local cycling star Levi Leipheimer.

The future is bright for both U.S. mena s and womena s cycling. Thata s according to USA Cyclinga s director of athletics Jim Miller, who says therea s enough talent to assure more success by American riders on the road at the top levels of the sport.