Pro cycling teams will compete in Amgen Tour

Three top professional road cycling teams will compete in the 2007 Amgen Tour of California Feb. 18 through 25, according to Shawn Hunter, president of AEG Sports, promoter and operator of the 650mile, eight-stage cycling race modeled after the Tour de France.

The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, Team CSC and Predictor-Lotto are the first of the expected 16 professional cycling teams to be announced for the second annual race. More than 1.3 million spectators attended last year's race.

Team Discovery is one of the most recognized teams in the field. It had 26 victories and 42 podiums in the 2006 season. Discovery earned team wins at the Vuelta a España and the Tour de Georgia and individual wins in three European Grand Tour races last year.

Team CSC earned a firstplace team classification finish in the 2006 Amgen Tour. Individuals on the team also took honors, including David Zabriskie, who came in second overall, and Bobby Julich, third place overall. Juan José Haedo, who won stages one and four in last year's race riding for Toyota-United, recently joined Team CSC.

Predictor-Lotto finished third overall in the 2006 Amgen Tour, helped by Cadel Evans' seventh-place overall finish.

"We are excited to welcome many of the best teams in cycling back to California to compete on another world-class course," said Hunter.