The Strong Appear to be Getting Stronger
 

Yaroslav Popovych, from Landboukrediet/Colnago (excellent rider) and his teammate Volodomir Bileka appear to be ready to sign with Discovery...

as do Danilo DiLuca and (drumroll here)...Axel Merckx.

With the advent of the "pro tour" that UCI started, it is really going to separate the teams with cash from the teams without...

Does Trek now get into a bidding war with Merckx for bike supplier???

I think that Postal ... erh ah ... Discovery is also preparing for the post-Lance syndrome. They may not have a strong GC contender in a few years, so the classics, and the rest of the pro-tour may become a BIG part of their season.

Floyd Landis is the future of Postal/Discovery. If they sign him they will have a legit GC contender for another 5 years. If they let him go they'll be facing another situation like the one with Tyler Hamilton... once a teamate, then suddenly a true threat. If he didn't crash I think he may have been the one to dethrone LA. They can't let it happen again. Hey Postal/Discovery... Don't let Floyd go!!!!

I hope they tap Voekler! He may not have kept those jerseys, but that guy rode his guts out -- you could practically see them flapping in the wind behind his bike! Imagine him as a member of a team as disciplined as USPS/Discovery!

Anyone think the appearance of DiLuca will increase the chance of hincapie going elsewhere? I guess george would be the leader for the cobbled classics, and di luca in the ardennes? I too think Discovery will be a pretty strong force in the classics.