Although it's sometimes difficult to separate her athletic achievements from her day-to-day life, Kristin Armstrong has had quite the journey either way you look at it. Born in 1973 into a military family of four, Armstrong spent her early childhood in Tennessee and California. In seventh grade, she was voted the one “Most likely to be an Olympian.” By the time she was 17, she had become a Junior Olympian in swimming, and lived overseas more than half of her life and spent her high school years in Japan.

Throughout her travels, sport has always been Armstrong's love. She's been a world-class swimmer, runner, triathlete and cyclist. Always one to give back to the sports that have given her success, she finds time to be a dedicated swimming instructor and coach.

Time and again, what started as a sports hobby became a career. Her entrée into cycling was especially serendipitous. While training as a professional triathlete, she saw a doctor about chronic pain in her hips. The diagnosis: osteoarthritis. Running was out of the question, but cycling was actually considered therapeutic. Within a short time, a relatively inexperienced cyclist has become an Olympian — and a champion for those who suffer from arthritis.

Armstrong currently makes her home in Boise, Idaho. Between her athletic career highlights spanning two decades and several sports, she also managed to succeed as a college graduate and a project manager at an ad agency. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in sports physiology from the University of Idaho. Armstrong's hobbies include cooking, skiing, coaching and hanging out with friends.

In 2006, Armstrong became a double national champion, winning both the road race and time trial. She then went on to win the World Championship in the Time Trial, one of only a few Americans to hold the World Championship title. In 2007, Armstrong is poised to show the world that there is another Armstrong in cycling—and this one, as a member of TEAm Lipton, always wears yellow.

Career Highlights:
2006 World Time Trial Champion
2006 National Road Race Champion
2006 National Time Trial Champion
2005 U.S. National Champion, Time Trial
2004 U.S. Olympic Team (Top U.S. Finisher, Road Race)

Growing up in Allentown, PA, the track cycling mecca. Lauren was introduced to track cycling at a young age at the world famous Lehigh Valley Velodrome. After a few tries on the track, she was hooked.

She began racing competitively at the age of 12, and her parents took her to races across the country and she quickly became recognized on a national level. Throughout her school years, Lauren traveled worldwide with the U.S. National team. She attended the Pan Am games and many Olympic talent ID camps at the US Olympic Training center.

In high school, she found herself having to choose cycling as a career or to let it go. She decided to focus more on cycling to have the opportunity for the Olympics and travel the world. She currently attends the Art Institute Online for a multimedia and web design degree.

In my spare time I enjoy working on my house, running, and enjoying Asheville, NC.

Career Highlights:
US National Team Member
Top 10 Stage 5 Tour de L'Aude
Top 10 Stage 6 Giro Italia Feminine
Five-time Junior and U23 National Champion
Two-time Junior Pan American Champion

There are few bike racers in the athletes' republic of Boulder who can say that they were born, partly raised, and also educated there. Lara Kroepsch is one of them. A Boulder baby, she left Colorado only for elementary years in England's northern countryside. It was there that she first learned how to ride a bike, while dodging pheasants along a royal driveway on an estate of a British monarch.

It would be a decade and half before she learned to race one.

In the interim, she picked up the classical guitar and excelled at volleyball and tennis from a young age. Kroepsch graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado with a pre-med degree in environmental biology. So until she started riding with C.U.'s team as a sophomore just trying to learn Boulder's mountain biking trails, the word "peloton" sounded more like biochemistry than cycling. Two collegiate national championship titles later, Lara had both figured out pretty well. Undergraduate research in C.U.'s world-renowned Applied Exercise Science Laboratory eventually combined Lara's love for sport and science. Medical aspirations are currently on hold so that Lara can pursue professional cycling at full steam. She currently uses her science background to coach riders of all levels.

There isn't much time left in the day once Lara is off of her bike, laptop, phone, or plane. But in the hours that do remain, Lara has been known to ride a 225-cc motorcross bike and to rally her tippy car like she corners in cycling criterium races. Depending on the season, Lara also loves to take the ski train to Winter Park for all-too-infrequent days on the slopes, trek Colorado's 14ers, or snowshoe to 10th Mountain Division huts with her intrepid parents. Top-secret exploits include perfecting a confidential pumpkin pancake recipe, high stakes limbo competitions, and developing trainer-based dance moves during cold-day sessions in front of MTV. A how-to video is forthcoming.

Career Highlights:
Two-time Collegiate National Criterium Champion
2005 International Women’s Criterium Champion
2005 CapTech Classic, 3rd
2005 Bike Jam USA, 3rd

Meredith's life has been full of excitement, competition, and adventure since she first started playing softball at the age of six, while in Alabama. Although she ran to third base after her first hit at try-outs, it didn't take her long to become one of the All-Stars of the league. Over the many years of playing softball, Meredith also picked up other sports such as track and field, cheerleading, tennis, and soccer. It was soccer that ultimately led her to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in exercise science while also becoming one of the All-Big Ten women's soccer players.

Meredith continued to play competitive soccer after graduating from UW, but also had begun to watch her husband, Ben, take on the local competitive cycling scene. After the Madison Freeze soccer team folded, Meredith knew her competitive fire was still burning strong and decided to give cycling a try. In 1998, Meredith first began racing her bike around the local scene in Madison and after moving to California in 1999, where the competitive cycling scene is fervent, her aspirations to become a top-level cycling began to blossom. However, it took her several years to take on cycling full-time as she was also focused on obtaining her Master’s degree in exercise science at San Francisco State University. During her studies at SFSU, Meredith taught undergraduate classes in Physiology and Exercise Physiology and also taught Human Anatomy at UC-Berkeley. Finally, in 2002, the combination of turning in her thesis and the Millers' move to Denmark proved to be the turning point to becoming a full-time cyclist.

Meredith lived in Copenhagen until October 2004 after which she moved with Ben to Auckland, New Zealand, where Ben is an associate professor in exercise science. For the 2005 cycling season, Meredith wanted to continue racing on European soil so she based herself in Metz, France then returned to New Zealand to soak up hours on the bike in the Kiwi summer. While in New Zealand, Meredith uses her personal training skills and cycling experiences to coach people on the bike and joins the weekly women’s ride to inspire women to exercise and be healthy.

Those early days of playing softball instilled in Meredith a strong sense of team spirit and camaraderie and she hasn’t looked back since. Returning to TEAm Lipton in 2007, Meredith strives to be the best teammate she can be and looks forward to helping TEAm Lipton be successful in every way possible.

In her spare time, Meredith enjoys traveling (with her husband), cooking, hiking, kayaking and reading.

Career Highlights:
Three year full-time professional cyclist in Europe
U.S. National Cycling Team member
Raced grand tours such as Tour de France, Tour de l'Aude, Giro d'Italia and World Cups such as Tour of Flanders, Fleche Wallonne, Milan San Remo

Born and raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Seehafer learned a lot from growing up in the Midwest. Athletic her entire life, Eau Claire served as a perfect stomping ground for outdoor pursuits. In high school, she was a diver, basketball player, and runner. She even flew Cessna planes and almost received her pilot’s license while still attending high school.

The small, Midwestern community also instilled important qualities that now serve Seehafer well as a pro cyclist. She was taught to be hard-working, to help others and build a community, to be a team player, to focus and to continually have a fighting spirit while overcoming obstacles. Seehafer attended North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND, and was a distance runner. By the end of her four years, she had also found collegiate cycling and began traveling the U.S. road racing circuit.

After graduating with a degree in Math Education, Seehafer continued with professional cycling. She created, managed, and directed the Procter and Gamble Women's Cycling team. She was able to create an environment for other female cyclists to develop from a regional to national riders. As a professional racer for four years, she is committed to her teammates and is always willing to help newcomers. She is known to be the lead-out rider, the one who virtually leads the TEAm’s sprinter to the finishing line.

Kori now lives in Louisville, CO with her husband, Jack, and their two cats. When she's not on her bike, Kori is teaching math or hanging with Jack at the coffee shop he manages in Louisville.

Career Highlights:
Top-10 American Road Cyclist 2004, 2005 and 2006
U.S. National Cycling Team Member
2005 World Championships Team Member

Originally from Gaithersburg, MD, Rebeccah was a competitive runner and swimmer growing up. In high school, she won four Maryland State titles in track & field, while doing most of her training in the pool. She attended Mt. St. Mary's College, in Emmitsburg, MD, on a track scholarship and for the first time, concentrated just on running. The efforts paid off as Rebeccah became one of the most decorated runners in Mount history, winning 13 conference titles and setting five school records.

After graduation, Rebeccah moved to New York for a job and to be close to family. She continued to compete at elite-level road racing while working 60+ hours a week as a CPA. Rebeccah quickly emerged as one of the top runners in the city and was named “Age Group Runner of the Year” by the New York Road Runners club in 2000. In 2001, Rebeccah’s 73.1 VO2 Max caught the eye of legendary marathon coach Gabriele Rosa and the FILA Discovery USA Marathon Team and she was selected to join the training group in Mount Laguna, California. As a member of the team, Rebeccah competed in major international marathons, such as London and Philadelphia.

Feeling the need to combine her strengths in running and swimming, Rebeccah decided to focus on triathlons in 2002. She participated as an amateur for 2 seasons, winning her age group at the US Nationals in 2003. She turned pro in 2004 and quickly has risen to the top of the sport. She was named the “2004 USA Triathlon Elite Rookie of the Year.” In 2004, she finished third at both the NYC-ITU Triathlon and the Accenture Chicago Triathlon, and placed fourth at the Boulder Peak event. Rebeccah is a member of USA Triathlon’s resident team and trains at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California during the winter months. The rest of the year, she lives and trains in New York, NY and in New Paltz, NY. Rebeccah will be competing in the major World Cup events in the US and abroad during 2006. Previously featured as an athlete to watch by Sports Illustrated, Rebeccah is a 2008 Olympic hopeful.

Career Highlights:
Member of USA Triathlon Elite National Team and US World Championship Team
2006 New York City Triathlon, 3rd
2006 ITU World Cup Edmonton, 9th
2006 ITU Pan Am Championships, Brazil, 3rd
2006 ITU Continental Cup, Westchester, NY, 2nd
2006 U.S. Elite Nationals, 5th
2004 Elite Rookie of the Year
2004 Accenture Chicago Triathlon, 3rd
2004 ITU Triathlon, 3rd

Born and raised in Finland, Bo participated in a multitude of sports growing up in addition to breeding and showing champion afghan hounds. She was the Finnish Junior Handler Champion in 1980. Leaving Finland at the age of 21, she spent five years in Paris working as a fashion model before emigrating to the US in 1990. After graduating from New York University in 1991, she started her career on Wall Street and has worked her way up to her current position as Senior Managing Director at Bear Stearns Merchant Banking.

Bo picked up distance running in 1995, but was quickly forced to incorporate cycling and swimming into her training regime due to back-to-back stress fractures, which led her to discover the sport of triathlon in 1997. Since then, Bo has juggled a hectic work schedule while training and competing at the national and international level in triathlons.

A multi-year All-American, Bo specializes in Ironman distance events, having finished 23 Ironman competitions in just eight years. Bo holds a personal record of 10 hours and 7 minutes in the European Championship and has several age group victories and eight Hawaii Ironman Championship finishes under her belt. Bo lives bi-coastally between San Francisco and NYC, and enjoys the opportunity to train with TEAm Lipton athletes on both coasts.

Career Highlights:
Age-group champion at Ironman Germany 1999, Ironman South Africa 2001, Ironman Florida 2002 and Ironman Austria 2002
All-American in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004
1999 European Long-Course Championship, 13th (Silver Medalist, Finnish National Team)

Born and raised just south of Salt Lake City, Nicole found her love for the outdoors and spent much of her youth hiking, trail running or skiing the mountain ranges that surround Salt Lake City.

She also found a passion for running at an early age. Upon relocating with her family to Virginia for high school, Evans excelled at the high school cross-country as well as indoor and outdoor track. She returned to Utah to earn her undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in Fitness and Wellness Management in 2000.

Covering a lot of territory with her running shoes, Nicole has now turned them in for cycling shoes and enjoys the greater distances she trains and races on her road bike. Looking at Evans’ cycling career, one might call her a late bloomer, as she did not enter a race until 2002, literally riding out her back door and entering the Snowbird Hill Climb up Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. She followed that up with Lotoja, a 183-mile trek from Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming. With those two races she was hooked and started racing full time in 2005.

On TEAm Lipton, Nicole’s strengths in climbing and all-around riding will make her a powerful addition to the 2007 squad. Nicole currently lives in Salt Lake City and still enjoys the training that the mountains of the Wasatch Front provide. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hiking, snowshoeing and spending time with her family and friends.

Career Highlights:
Several Hill Climbs and Road Race Wins
Several top finishes in GC rider at stage

Kim Geist has benefited from growing up and living in the cycling hub of the east coast—Emmaus, Pennsylvania. At nine years old, Geist was racing on the world-class Lehigh Valley Velodrome, situated just seven miles from her home. This facility is best known for its outstanding junior developmental programs, and Geist took full advantage of its resources and those of the surrounding cycling community to progress smoothly through the junior ranks to the espoir and senior ranks both on the track and on the road.

During her time growing up with the bike, Geist acknowledged a strong personal importance on being a well-rounded individual in not only competing equally in two disciplines of cycling, but also in other aspects of her life. She put in hard work in high school by consistently making honor rolls, being an active member in more than one honors society and several clubs, and acting as a student tutor. She also was a member of the school orchestra, playing the cello, from elementary school to graduation.

Currently, Geist is attending DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania full-time, working towards a bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science with minors in Sport Management and Psychology. Geist also acts as the coach and vice president of the DeSales University Cycling Team. She also thoroughly enjoys recognizing her roots by coaching in the very same developmental programs in which she got her start. In her spare time, she day-dreams about becoming a motivational guru helping people master the art of time management – with cycling, school, work, coaching, and more, she believes she may be able to share a few secrets.

Geist looks forward to becoming an integral part of the success of TEAm Lipton. Although tagged as an emerging sprinter on the road, she will continue her ways of being a well-rounded individual and contribute to the TEAm in every way possible.

Career Highlights:
2006 Espoir National Individual Pursuit Champion
2004 & 2005 Junior World Track Championships – Individual Pursuit Bronze Medalist
2005 Junior World Road Championships – 4th Place Road Race
Record 21 Junior National Championship Titles

Kristen LaSasso was born and raised in New Jersey, but spent her high school years in California and New Mexico playing soccer. She attended Colorado College on a soccer scholarship and received a degree in Finance. Upon graduating, Kristen contemplated joining the women’s professional soccer league but was lured to the bling bling of the Big Apple. At Lehman Brothers, Kristen became a professional triathlete, with Lehman Brothers serving as her title sponsor.

Kristen excelled at running and cycling, particularly riding uphill, but found swimming to be her Achilles’ heel in the sport of triathlon. In 2002, she shifted gears to focus on cycling and went from a category IV to category II in less than a full season. In 2003, she then turned full-time to cycling and earned a spot on the Canadian-based Equipe Rona squad. Kristen spent the first part of the 2004 season racing a full World Cup schedule in Europe before heading back to the US to finish up the year with TEAm Lipton. In 2005 and 2006, she continued with TEAm Lipton with much success, particularly in stage races. She won the overall title in the 2006 Cascade Cycling Classic and had several top finishes in the most grueling climbing events. Her strength is climbing but she is always a dependable workhorse for her TEAm leader.

Kristen lives bi-coastally between southern California and the greater tri-state area of NYC. When not racing, Kristen likes to spend time cooking, reading and doing the NY Times crossword puzzles.

Career Highlights:
2006 Cascade Cycling Classic Winner
2005 GC Tour of the Gila, 8th
2005 U.S. Road National Championships, 14th
2005 GC Giro della Toscana, 20th

Brenda Lyons grew up in Columbus, Ohio and like most professional athletes, has been involved in sports since she can remember. Although she got her cycling start racing on the BMX track, she turned to playing field hockey throughout her teenage years and received a collegiate scholarship for field hockey.

After moving to the west coast and after giving birth to her son, Myles, she decided to get back into athletics and began to train for a marathon. The marathon training led to triathlon training, which eventually brought Brenda to road cycling.

In 2001 she began racing road bikes in the Northern California region. By 2004 she decided to break out onto the national racing circuit, and has been steadily progressing as one of the top sprinters on the national circuit ever since.

In 2007 Brenda will be a first year rider with TEAm Lipton. Whether it be the role of leadout rider, sweeper or designated sprinter, look for Brenda to be a key player in Team Lipton`s sprint train in 2007.

Career Highlights:
Several top finishes at Criterium National Championships
Top 10 Ranking
Multiple Top Ten Finishes

A New York City native, Kiki grew up with sports with the encouragement of her parents and played field hockey and lacrosse at Amherst College. While attending the New York University School of Medicine, she continued to stay active with sports as she completed her curriculum and residency in internal medicine at the University of California – San Francisco Hospital.

As a hospitalist at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, Kiki handles both patient care and teaching of residents-in-training. She spends her free time running or cycling in Marin County, or competing in endurance events, consistently placing in the top positions. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, Kiki qualified for and completed the Ironman world championships in Hawaii and was one of the top age-group finishers.

Career Highlights:
Ironman World Championship, 2005:14th AG female, 85th overall Female, PR 10'41
Vineman Half-Ironman 2005: 2nd AG female, 8th overall Female
Wildflower Half-Ironman 2005: 1st AG female, 2nd overall Female
California Half-Ironman 2005: 1st AG female

Born and raised in Sangerhousen, Germany, Liese comes to direct Team Lipton after more than 20 years as an elite-level amateur or professional cyclist. Thomas started riding a bike at 8, and by 14 was sent to an elite school for athletes in the former East Germany. For many years, Liese excelled as one of Germany’s track racing stars. He represented the German National Team in several national championships, world Championships. He has been a World Champion and German National Champion on the track. Liese even attempted the World Hour Record on the track.

In 1991, when Liese transitioned into road cycling, he quickly rose to the top of that sport as well, and became the German National Individual Time Trial champion. Liese has over 100 major wins and numerous podium finishes in major world-class cycling events. In 2003, Thomas finished the Tour de France, where he helped his teammate, Jan Ullrich, finish second to Lance Armstrong.

When he's not traveling in the U.S. with TEAm Lipton, Liese lives in Leipzig, the world-renowned city for music. (Home of Johann Sebastian Bach and Kurt Masur, the current conductor of the New York Symphonic Orchestra.) Being from Leipzig, Liese enjoys music, and loves to travel, especially in Australia and Canada. Now, with TEAm Lipton, he hopes to develop an appreciation of the United States.

Liese has advanced degrees in exercise physiology and sports science, and holds the highest level cycling coaching license in Germany. He plans to use his educational background combined with his life experiences as a pro cyclist to provide the critical direction and tactical decisions for TEAm Lipton.

Liese's philosophy for Team Lipton is to focus on a TEAm approach, while motivating the athletes to be their best—in life and in sport. His background in both road and track cycling will help TEAm Lipton athletes excel in both disciplines as they prepare for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.