USA Cycling announced 21 of their 24 nominees to the 2008 US Olympic Team, including all 16 men headed to Beijing.

A dozen of those selected to compete in road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking and bicycle motocross (BMX) earned automatic nominations under USA Cycling’s Olympic selection procedures. Nine more were chosen by a selection committee.

Levi Leipheimer, third overall in the 2007 Tour de France, was the only man to earn automatic nomination in road cycling. He’ll be joined in the mass start road race by George Hincapie, Jason McCartney, Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie. Hincapie becomes the only five-time Olympic cyclist in US history. Leipheimer and Zabriskie were also selected to compete in the time trial.

Kristin Armstrong earned automatic selection for the women’s road team in both the mass start race and time trial.

The track cycling team will include Michael Blatchford, Bobby Lea, Taylor Phinney, Adam Duvendeck, Giddeon Massieon, Michael Friedman in the men’s team and Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed in the women’s team.

In BMX, which will make its Olympic debut in Beijing, the four-person US team will include Kyle Bennett, current world No. 1 Donny Robinson, Mike Day and Jill Kintner.

Todd Wells and Adam Craig were selected for men’s mountain biking, with Georgia Gould making the women’s team.

The last three committee selections, which include two women’s road racers and one woman mountain biker, will be announced by July 15.

Levi Leipheimer -3rd in the 2007 Tour de France will be going to Beijing

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