Snicklefritz

www.thepaceline.com

Disco finally posted the details of the 3 signings, including Levi

va_cyclist

Paceline requires membership to read the full article -- can anyone paste it here?

Snicklefritz

Following the completion of the 2006 Tour de France - the first one in seven years that the team did not win - the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team is already making plans to move forward and regain their winning ways. And as a step towards that future, Sports Manager Johan Bruyneel today announced the signing of three new riders for the 2007 season - and a new role for one of the true legends of the sport of cycling.

American Levi Leipheimer returns to the squad from Gerolsteiner, Portugal's Sergio Paulinho arrives from the former Wurth squad, and Lithuanian Tomas Vaitkus arrives from AG2R.

Adding to the team's managerial staff, Russian iron man Viatchslev "Eki" Ekimov will retire as a rider and become an Assistant Sports Manager along with Dirk Demol, Sean Yates, and Lorenzo Lapage.

"Eki is Eki - he is an amazing rider with one of the greatest palmares in the modern era," Bruyneel said. "We are very proud to have his cycling knowledge, experience, and leadership as part of the team as we move forward with great expectations for the opportunities ahead."

Looking ahead to the next year, Bruyneel said there is more still to come. "There are still changes that need to be made, and we can expect to probably sign two or three more riders to the roster."

Levi Leipheimer - Levi is not only one of the top American riders but one of the best riders in the pro peloton, period. 1st overall in the 2006 Dauphiné Libéré, 1st overall in the 2005 Tour of Germany, and 3rd overall in the 2001 Vuelta a España, Levi also has three top-ten finishes in the Tour de France and rode for Team USPS several years ago. "There was definitely interest in him returning to our team from both sides. His palmares are excellent - he won the Dauphine Libere this year and probably should have won it last year, too. He'll definitely be a Tour de France rider for us in 2007," noted Bruyneel.

Sergio Paulinho - 2004 was the breakout year for the 26-year old rider. 6th in the Tour of Portugal and then a silver medal in the road race at the Athens Olympics, he was soon signed by Liberty Seguros-Würth. "I think he's a talent and we know some things about him from Jose Azevedo. He rode a good Dauphine Libere this year and I think he will do well in our environment," said Bruyneel.

Tomas Vaitkus (AG2R) - the 2002 junior Time Trial world champion, he also won a stage in the 2006 Giro d'Italia. "He's a good one-day rider and a solid sprinter," said Bruyneel. "I expect him to primarily be one of our riders for the Classics."

Cromulent

Whatever happened to Hoste? Is he still on Discovery?

Snicklefritz

Is is still there but is going to another team next year - I think it was the same team he was with before. I forget who that is.

munckee

What exactly is Lance's connection to the team now? I've heard a lot of people talking about "Lance wanting to hire Floyd, Lance wanting to...". Is he in a decision-making position for Disco still?

(Sorry, a little OT there)

Snicklefritz

I think Lance is a part-owner of the team. Bruyneel has been quoted as saying he would be interested in FLoyd. However, Floyd just signed with iShares/Phonak for another year.

domestique

Disco should have picked up Cunego. I can see him winning a couple TDF in the upcoming years.

Psimet2001 

Lance is a part owner in Tailwind Sports. I believe he maintains controlling intrest/is chairman/CEO or something to that effect. As for Tailwind sports...

Found this on Discovery's site:

"Tailwind Sports Corporation co-owns the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, the successor to the United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team® (1996–2004). San Francisco-based Tailwind Sports also co-produces the popular U.S. cycling race the San Francisco Grand Prix, known the past two years as the T-Mobile International.

Capital Sports & Entertainment manages and co-owns the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. Based in Austin, Texas, CSE is an integrated management and marketing agency providing services to athletes, artists, events and entertainment brands. Along with the Discovery Channel Team, marquee clients include six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, National Medal of Arts winner Austin City Limits and the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Saveur Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival.

Capital Sports & Entertainment and Tailwind Sports jointly own and manage the Discovery Channel Team."

CS&E lists in a publication the following:
"Bill Stapleton - Principal
Bart Knaggs - Principal" <-- both lifelong friends of Lance.

Lance owns the team. He can make whatever decision he wants to make. Johan works for Lance...always has...

platypus

so is this a significant vote of no-confidence in Hincapie?

Vinokurtov

His sudden massivE imPrOvement at TT's was POSITIVEly HERAS-like. If people can believe Hincapie's got a shot, I guess they can believe in Cannotgo too. Schleck is going to play Lance to his Ulrich in the coming years though. As a domestique you should appreciate this when a guy who's worked his tail off for his leader all tour still kicks a protected leader's butt in the one stage the guy has marked to win.

Frank also beat him by a fair amount on GC.

Discovery's discovered the Chicago Bulls factor: It's easy to look brilliant if you have the best rider combined with the best doctors. Their whole grand tour strategies this year have been very poorly thought out on several levels. If I'm one of Disco's young riders, Popo in particular, I'm going to listen hard to offers from others teams who show they have confidence in me as "the man". Floyd showed where that can take you, as did several other rider's in this year's tour.

Letting Landis go was (obviously in hindsight) ego winning over practicality. So was Lance's backhanding him in the press and at several races, even while they were trying to woo him back.

Now they've hired a "known quantity" older guy who's sliding towards the second tier mostly because he's an american.

It's excellent from a marketing perspective; throw a bone to all the U-S-A! chanters who were astonished at George's meltdown and get some buzz going. I think Levi's got an outside chance at winning the TDF, if circumstances come together, he preps exclusively for the race, and some of the other guys have problems. It'll be a yawner though.

domestique

Vino would have been a good pick too..... At least for next year and maybe another until he retires.

Psimet2001 

Yeah...I don't know how well Vino can do when he doesn't have his own team attacking him though. I guess we could have seen that this year, but he was on a team of alleged dopers...besides he grew up on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

Disco wants an American frontman - not from a cycling perspective, but from a marketing one. Hincapie is, and *probably* will always be a domestique. Landis said "No."

Pick your poison....