I wonder what the Slipstream edition Trek team bike will look like next year...

Huh, well those journalists should at least wait until he plays his first game. Gillette stadium is sold out this weekend for the Revolution/Galaxy game just on the hope that Beckham's ankle will be better and he'll play. It was the hottest ticket in town and I'm thinking that at every game where the LA Galaxy plays will be sold out this year. Although yes his contract is for a stupidly high amount.

The same journalists are ruining our sport. Every sport has caught cheaters, but journalist seem to love calling for the Tour to Stop, teams to crumble, cycling leagues to disband. Yet, fans will continue to line up by the millions to watch and we now have a great antidoping momentum shift. Even after the Festina affair, Festina stated how much the sponsorship had increased sales years AFTER the incident. Fans boot the bad seed riders who are caught but don't think ill of the sponsoring companies or sport.

You know what, there were a bunch of athletes caught at the Athens Olympics doping - we should stop the Beijing Olympics and no company should sponsor that sorry excuse for a sporting event.

-why is it only cycling gets this treatment.

i posted here a while ago saying that i work for a big multi-nat that used to sponsor cycling in a big way but now wouldn't touch it with yours. still feel the same...

$14m p/a is not small change to anyone. $ belong to someone.

Cycling is very, very badly tainted in the view of most non-cyclists, even those who otherwise quite like the sport and are amazed by what the athletes do.

Just to reiterate myself, non-cyclists are only exposed to the sport through journalists. Its certain pathetic journalists who don't usually cover cycling and love to beat up on it for fun who have tainted the image to corporate America. The hope for the future is that cycling has been called the new golf, and with more people involved there is bound to be more company management involved that would consider it.



Felt has a contract for 2007-2008. Unless Trek muscles themselves in they will have to wait for 2009 - which is when Slipstream hopes for a pro-tour license anyway (if Pro-Tour exists).

From Sports Illustrated

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/08/10/bc.cyc.discoverydisband.ap/index.html

Just thinking. What should i pick, chess or ballet for my next life?

I fully agree. Discovery Channel had become Controversy Channel over the years, employing and hiring many riders (Tyler, Lance, Floyd, Ivan, Lance, Alberto etc.) but also a team manager that have been indeed controversial when it comes to doping. I know, only a few have been proven guilty but let's not be blind, naive or patriotic here ...
I really want to believe that things are finally changing in cycling and for me, this is another good sign.

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Titanium rules.

If you read the article it says this:

"This was a difficult decision, not made any easier by our recent Tour de France success," Stapleton added. "We were in talks with a number of companies about the opportunity and were confident a new sponsor was imminent. We have chosen, however, to end those discussions."

Tailwind spokesman PJ Rabice told VeloNews Friday morning that the decision was not based on "a failure to find a new sponsor."

Rabice did not elaborate, but said the company would offer further information later in the day.

So finding a new sponsor wasnt the issue.

Your right... Not even a full game is in and the Hype is already faultering... For the investement, all of the league games, not just the galaxy, have to sell out. The payoff requires a sustained hype, and a past prime "face" man simply isn't going to build the bridge to success that's required for financial viability... The national sizzle needed to last a bit. It hasn't, and sports marketing firms are already laughing at the sales job done to pull it off.



I agree that the media pump things up. It's the same for all things, not just cycling.

That said...

Anyone thinking Cyclings troubles are media hyped are correct...

Anyone thinking that cyclings troubles are media created...



Cycling gets treated as it deserves to be treated (I'm not saying it's treated equally to other sports, I am saying it's treated as it deserves...). If it had developed a stronger more honest core, it would be at a different level, it would be run differently and more people would be held accountable. It hasn't and so this is what it and it's fans get...

And not all Media are David Walsh. Some of us are just as heart broken as any fan.



As for Disco / Tailwind management, this is simply a business decision. This thing has been a bit of a gravy train. Rather than watching it slow down and the wheels possibly fall off, they are taking the decision not to see it through and move to a less profitable, more sporting venture.

At days end, I wish there were more desire to stick with it, but I understand how much more work and risk is involved. They didn't mind surfing the Lance Armstrong wave, but don't have teh heart to run a simple cycling team...

The fall out from the combination of Lance leaving and doping has been rolling for a year or so in the industry and sport... This is just a part of it.

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charles@pezcyclingnews.com

Well said. There has been something of a frenzy to bash the sport with references to how cyclists are just a bunch of druggies (who need to be "educated"), and the sport is no more legitimate than pro wrestling. Stuff like this is a joke to anyone who knows better, but it plays well to the self-righteous and ignorant hypocrits... many of whom are (were?) cycling fans.

By looking at your name Id say chess (Kasparov) but by using lycra shorts you'd save money for ballet clothing.

This is unbelievable. unbelievable.

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This board and the world in general would be a much nicer place if everyone could just take themselves a little less seriously.

Yeah, it makes you wonder what's going on backstage.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I'm frightened of old ones." -- John Cage

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/phpBB ... 928#126928

So who is Contador racing for next year?

Team Dubai???

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Whow! That's a pretty damn nice garage door!