Could Levi Lepheimer be this year's Bobby Julich?

In 1998, Bobby Julich took 3rd in the TdF. 1998 was the year of the "Festina Affair" where a bunch of top contenders were thrown out of the race and the race itself was plunged into turmoil. Julich finished 17th in 1997, and hasn't come close to 3rd since 1998. Julich is a quality rider who spent a number of years chasing his TdF dreams after 1998, finally realizing in 2004 or so that he was not going to make the podium anymore and was better suited for the smaller stage races and as a helper for stronger teammates (like Ullrich and Kloden) during the TdF.

Looking at his performance over time, I'd be willing to bet that Julich is clean. He was a very promising rider, a beast against the clock, who went sideways against his peers during the time that doping (EPO) became rampant in the sport. He was a rider who probably could have had a different career if (according to my thesis) he had doped or many others had not.

Well, similar to 1998, a bunch of dopers are not racing the TdF this year: Basso, Ullrich, Landis are already out. I'm waiting for the shoe to drop on Vino and the whole Astana team. With that, the race is wide open and ready for a guy like Lepheimer to take it. He, like Julich, is a very solid rider who's finished in the top-10 in past years. He has been one of those riders who has a bad day, or who just can't make it through the whole 3-week circus at the top of his game, in short, a guy not doping.

My only concern with Lephiemer is his renewed affiliation with the Discovery team. The more I read about them, Lance, Bruneel, Basso, the whole group, the more skeptical I am that they are winning on 'bread and water'. Let's see how Levi races this year. I hope he is this year's Julich, but I'm also afraid that he could be this year's Riis.