During these financial problems, it was rumored that three of the former Discovery Channel riders on the team – team leader Contador and his domestiques Noval and Paulinho – would join Garmin-Slipstream for the Tour de France if Armstrong were to take over the Astana team.
Selama permasalahan finansial tersebut, muncul rumor bahwa tiga pembalap mantan Discovery Channel dalam tim – pimpinan tim Contador dandomestique-nya Noval dan Paulinho – akan bergabung dengan Garmin-Slipstream untuk Tour de France apabila Armstrong di sana untuk mengabil alih tim Astana.