Astana to Race in Giro d'Italia

Team Astana has been invited to compete in the 2008 Giro d'Italia, the first of this year's Grand Tour races. In granting the invitation, race organizer RCS reversed its original February decision. The Giro begins on May 10.

Team Astana's General Manager Johan Bruyneel accepted the invitation, saying, "I would like to thank RCS for reconsidering our Team in the selection process. RCS has recognized that not inviting one of the best stage racing teams would have been a mistake and detrimental to the race and sport of cycling."

The Cane Creek 110 headset is standard issue for Team Astana.

Astana teammates Andreas Klöden, Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer will be making their Giro debut. Leipheimer will need to travel from the US, where he had a successful Tour de Georgia, finishing in 3rd place overall. "It was a big surprise to get the call from Johan. I was planning on training in the US for a couple of weeks, but now I need to fly to Italy and prepare myself for a tough three-week race. I haven't had the opportunity to take an in-depth look at the course, but I know we'll tackle some big climbs. I've also read that there are 4 time trials, which leads to me believe there will be some great opportunities for a rider like me," commented Leipheimer from his home in California.