It now appears Leipheimer might as well have been pedaling reverse.

The Santa Rosa rider, beginning in his 12th pro season, will defend last year's title beginning Sunday in the third Amgen Tour of California.

The eight-day, 666.8-mile race will begin with a 2.1-mile flat prologue individual time trial ending at Stanford University in Palo Alto.

The 17-team, 133-cyclist field will ride through 13 additional starting and finishing cities, beginning with 96.8-mile stage 1 from Sausalito to Santa Rosa on Monday. The race will make a stop in Seaside on Thursday.

Last year, Leipheimer began the most successful year of his career by winning the uphill prologue of the Tour of California, then in San Francisco.

Leipheimer went on to win several races and the finished third in the Tour de France to Alberto Contador of Spain after winning the 19th stage time trial when the duo rode for the Discovery Channel team.

But the former team of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong ended its sponsorship after last year. Leipheimer, Contador and team director Johan Bruyneel, among others, eventually all joined Astana.

Last year, former Astana leader Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan was fired after testing positive for a blood transfusion during the 2007 Tour de France. Two other team riders also failed doping tests.

The Luxembourg-based squad also replaced its management and began a new drug-testing policy.

Last Wednesday, however, Amaury Sport Organization, owner of the Tour de France, announced Astana would not be invited to this year's race.

Leipheimer has not discussed the situation at length, but said, "I'm appalled and disappointed."

Following the prologue, the Tour of California will continue a north-south route through the starting and finishing stage cities of Sacramento, Modesto, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Solvang and Santa Barbara before concluding with stage 7 from Santa Clarita to Pasadena on Feb. 24.

For the third straight year, the race will also include the Monterey Peninsula as a departure destination following the previous day's finish in San Jose.

In 2006, the stage — the longest in each year of the race so far — began at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, progressed through downtown Monterey and Carmel and then began its full-day processional along Highway 1 to San Luis Obispo.

But just like last year, the fourth stage this year will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday with a short parade or "neutralized" parade lap in Seaside. The field will quickly head south through Big Sur, past Hearst Castle and then veer inland for late mid-afternoon finish in San Luis Obispo.

The stage 4 route along the coast will be 135.3 miles. It won't include a severe climb, but will feature hilly and technical terrain. And if it's a windy and or rainy day, the five-hour stage will not prove kind.

In both previous years, the fourth stage has finished in a massive sprint. Juan Jose Haedo (CSC) of Argentina, whose four stage wins are the most of any rider in the race's short tenure, was victorious in 2006 as a member of Toyota-United.

Last year, diminutive Paolo Bettini (Quick-Step) of Italy, the former world titlist racing in the United States for the first time, was the stage 4 winner on a day when the cyclists pedaled for more than five hours.

Although the international and domestic season begins in January at less prestigious stage races and one-day events, the Tour of California represents the season launch toward the Tour de France for the nine ProTour teams entered.

After his prologue win last year, Leipheimer maintained his lead throughout the race en route to his 21-second overall title over Jens Voigt (CSC) of Germany.

Jason McCartney of Coralville, Iowa, Leipheimer's former Discovery Channel teammate, finished third, trailing by 54 seconds.

Voigt, McCartney, now riding for CSC, Bobby Julich (CSC) of Reno, Nev., fourth last year, and Stuart O'Grady (CSC) of Australia, who placed fifth, will all return.

 In addition to a new prologue circuit, stage 3 from Modesto to San Jose, will include an ascent of Mt. Hamilton at 4,360 feet. The finishing stage has also been adjusted to include the climb to Mill Creek Summit, the highest point ever in the event at 4,906 feet.

The field will also include several world road and track and Olympic champions, including Paolo Bettini (Quick Step), teammate Tom Boonen of Belgium and Fabian Cancellara (CSC) of Switzerland.

Americans David Zabriskie (Slipstream-Chipotle) of Salt Lake City, Utah, a former stage winner and overall leader of the Tour de France, George Hincapie (Team High Road) of Greenville, S.C., a stage winner and 11-time Tour de France finisher, and Chris Horner (Astana) of Bend, Ore., 15th overall in last year's Tour de France, are also among riders from ProTour teams.