Team dissolution

runcommute

So, now that Discovery has folded, how long do their riders stay on? Is Leipheimer and the crew still wearing blue and black, or are they riding around in Nashbar singlets like the rest of us while they wait for a new sponsor?

Sorry if there's already a thread about this.

Holocaust

Team Discovery has left the scene of the doping crimes.

The global recession will do the rest.

Unemployment and/or lower wages await the pro peloton.

9202

Not all bad. I don;t know about others, but I am pretty sick and tired of the doping stupidity. Professional athletes are cheating the public and themselves by negating their natural talent and development for drug induced feats.

I would much prefer to see pro cyclists compete on natural talent and hard training and compete in a fair and non-cheating manner.

Let the teams disolve, let the sponsors put the screws to them and demand a clean sport. May take a few years, but in the long run, the sport will emerge stronger.

Holocaust

Agreed wholeheartedly but:

It will never happen in real life. (except for a few local crits and TTs)

Amateur cyclists use steroids and asthma meds to win power bars and tyre tubes.

When TV-Networks (Disney-ESPN/OLN/GE-NBC/CBS) get involved, chemo research drugs (RSR-13), EPO and cow blood products (Polyheme, Actovegin, Hemopure) get into the mix.

Can you imagine college football without steroids amphetamines and cortisone? NFL? MLB? NBA? Swimming? Olympic Badminton?

600,000+ US high school teenagers use steroids today.

runcommute

Yeah, but what about the question I asked?

9202

I imagine that they wear whatever is washed and clean and in the drawer, just like the rest of us. ;-)

Hal Dawg

The serious answer to your question is that the riders and staff from Discovery Channel go looking for jobs with other pro teams immediately. The final major race of the season for the team is the Tour of Missouri, Sept. 11-16. Until then, you'll see them competing as usual.

If other teams have spots open, then they will either enter into talks with the riders on Discovery or sign them to a one, two or other multi-year contract. Already, some riders (Tom Danielson, George Hincapie, etc.) have found a team to ride for next year.

If a rider is unable to find a ride with a pro team, for the most part they will be on the outside looking in during 2008.