Discovery disbands
- Thread starter snood
- Start date
Thank farking god they are shutting down....snood said:
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Tailwind Sports, owner of the Discovery Channel Profesional Cycling Team, is expected to announce Friday that the team will cease operations at the end of this season. One of the winningest teams in the sport, Discovery and its predecessor, the U.S. Postal Service Team, won eight of the last nine Tour de France championships: seven consecutive from 1999-2005 with Armstrong and in 2007 with Alberto Contador of Spain.
Despite its sterling record, Tailwind has been unable to sign a title sponsor for the 2008 season. Discovery Channel's three-year contract expires this year and new corporate management decided against extending the deal.
Team officials declined to comment on the decision, but USA TODAY was able to independently confirm the plan.
Discovery, like many other cycling teams, has been affected by the doping scandals that have damaged the sport's reputation in recent years. Although no team member has ever been sanctioned for doping while on the squad, the team had to deal with the issue.
Earlier this year, it released Italian star Ivan Basso after he admitted to involvement with the Operation Puerto blood-doping ring while a member of the CSC team. He had been cleared by his national Olympic committee after being banned from the 2006 Tour and was signed by Discovery, but later made his admission and received a two-year ban.
Contador won the 2007 Tour after race leader Michael Rasmussen — who had the overall win in his grasp — was fired by his Rabobank team for violating team rules related to random anti-doping testing. Like Basso, Contador was initially associated with the Operation Puerto affair but has been cleared by cycling's international federation. The World Anti-Doping Agency is now reviewing his files and says it may reopen the case if it disagrees with the federation's conclusions.
Tailwind was founded by investment banker Thomas Weisel prior to Armstrong's first Tour win in 1999. Armstrong, his attorney Bill Stapleton and team director Johan Bruyneel are now part-owners of the operation. Long-time Armstrong associate Bart Knaggs is president.
never had a positive.whiteboytrash said:
But this is the court of corporate opinion.
This is the biggest indictment of Armstrong and the Armstrong years. They cannot find a company to put their name to his team with Contador, the new winderkind, who would conceivably rack up victories like Armstrong if he had the same quality support team, medical program, and logistics to deliver blood tranfusions.
So what's the press conference all about then? I guess we'll know soon enough. And what about the Hog Brunyeel? Is he really going to sit back and watch other men lead teams to Tour victories? (He needs an excuse to be away from his wife - have you seen her?) Maybe that was the deal he did with the UCI - let AC win this Tour and I'll retire from the sport.thunder said:
LOL ! Yes Bruyneel needs to spend a lot of time away from his wife ! My gawd ! When he told her that it wasn't EPO in the fridge and a sports drink she proceeded to drink it everyday and look at her now ! E farking T ! She looks awful.......... Bruyneel the hog is going to Rabo I hear on the grapevine........Rolfrae said:
He just denied the Rabo story too. Think he'll be taking Kid Contadope with him? How ironic, (if) Rabo dumped Ras at the Tour allowing his main rival to take yellow, then go and sign that main rival for the next season. Maybe part of the deal will allow them to use the Hog's wife to scare away bank robbers?whiteboytrash said:
something tells me LA isnt losing sleep over this. I could be totally wrong, but he probably sees this as a welcome development as he seems to be distancing himself more and more from the world of cycling. doesnt want people to associate him with peds whilst he continues his charade as all-american hero and savior to the cancer world... 
Savior and instigator of drug use inside world cycling... Jeykill and Hyde.Klodifan said:something tells me LA isnt losing sleep over this. I could be totally wrong, but he probably sees this as a welcome development as he seems to be distancing himself more and more from the world of cycling. doesnt want people to associate him with peds whilst he continues his charade as all-american hero and savior to the cancer world...
With the controls getting tighter and tighter is finally dawned on Bruyneel and LA that they can’t realistically win the Tour anymore without the gear..... so time to get out…Rolfrae said:
He's ending on a high, as Lance did, as AC will do when he announces his retirement today...but if the Hog is going to Rabo? He's going to take AC with him, right? Maybe the scar across AC's head reminds the Hog of the mess the plastic surgeon made of his wife's face? Will Lil TD be at this press event? Oh my god, what team is Lil TD going to ride on next year? Does he need a team to ride intervals up Brasstown Bald with no one watching? Will AC have the answers?whiteboytrash said:
Hey, why wait for the press event when we can speculate.
Although reading the pre-press announcement I think these two events could be different... ie Contador is reading one about himself from Spain and the Disco announcement will come a later date.....Rolfrae said:
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[size=-1]Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has scheduled a press event this Friday in Spain, but says he will decline to answer reporters' questions after he reads a prepared statement.[/size]
[size=-1]Contador issued a release Wednesday notifying media of his plans to read a statement at the offices of Spain's national sports council - the Consejo Superior de Deportes - in Madrid.[/size]
[size=-1]Contador will be accompanied by Discovery Channel team director Johann Bruyneel.[/size]
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