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Pro Cycling Teams: US Postal, Discovery Channel And Jelly Belly
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Published: February 19, 2007
Pro cycling teams have received a surge of popularity over the past few years. With public interest and success stories like the Tour de France dominance of Lance Armstrong and last year's controversial win by Floyd Landis, pro cycling teams are experiencing the full microscope of the public limelight. Cable TV channel Versus even picked up the rights to major pro cycling teams events.
For the uninitiated, here is a look at some of the top pro cycling teams in America today.
One of the most famous pro cycling teams in the world is the USPS cycling team. From 1996 to 2004, the US postal cycling team was the most dominant group of cyclists in racing. Led by team captain Lance Armstrong, the USPS cycling team won an incredible six straight Tour de Frances. In terms of the popularity of modern cycling, it's impossible to ignore the impact of one of the most successful pro cycling teams in history.
After being called out by government watch agencies for overspending, USPS pulled their support of the team in 2004, and the US Postal cycling team became Team Discovery Channel. New name or not, the team continued their dominance into 2005, when Armstrong won yet another Tour. Now that Armstrong has retired from competitive racing, the Discovery Channel has decided not to renew its sponsorship for the 2008 racing season. Time will tell what happens to its stable of talented racers.
One of the pro cycling teams that is slowly climbing up the ranks of racing is the Jelly Belly cycling team. Sponsored by the Jelly Belly gourmet candy company, the team has attracted many tough young competitors. Though not as star packed as the USPS and Discovery Channel pro cycling teams of the past, the Jelly Belly cycling team has a strong nucleus of young cyclists who could make a strong push at the elite over the next few years. It will be an interesting year for cycling fans to see if any racers from these pro cycling teams stand out from the pack.
Of course, no modern discussion of modern American pro cycling teams is complete without a discussion of Floyd Landis. Landis was a former teammate of Lance Armstrong's on the USPS Cycling team until he split off to join the Phonak Hearing Systems team in 2005. Landis won the Tour de France in 2006, but tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and was fired from his team. While it's certainly a black mark on the face of competitive cycling, Ladis' name and issues have certainly brought a number of new eyes to the sport.
What does the future hold for American pro cycling teams? A lot of that is up to the American public. In general, professional cycling has seen periods of great surges in the United States, followed by great lulls. When Greg LeMond won in 1986, 1989, and 1990 cycling went through something of an American Renaissance that quickly faded, only to surge up again with the popularity of Lance Armstrong. If the public can look past the doping scandals, and pro cycling teams like this year's Discovery Channel and Jelly Belly, pro cycling teams can maintain a high level of competition. There's a good chance cycling may finally catch on as a formidable American sport.
Sources:
"Tour de France." Wikipedia. 12 Feb. 2007. 13 Feb. 2007 <
USPS Drops Cycling Sponsorship. Outside Online. 23 Apr. 2004. Mariah Media Inc.13 Feb. 2007 <http://outside.away.com/outside/news/20040423_ 1.html>.
Lance Armstrong. Discovery Channel. 2007. Discovery Communications. 13 Feb. 2007 <http://team.discovery.com/bios/armstrong.html& gt;.
Discovery Channel to Drop Cycling Team Sponsorship. ESPN.com. 9 Feb. 2007. The Associated Press.13 Feb. 2007 <http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/sto ry?id=2760508>.
Williams, Eric. "Floyd Landis Biography." Associated Content. 11 Aug. 2006. 13 Feb. 2007 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/49315 /floyd_landis_biography.html>.
One of the most famous pro cycling teams in the world is the USPS cycling team. From 1996 to 2004, the US postal cycling team was the most dominant group of cyclists in racing. Led by team captain Lance Armstrong, the USPS cycling team won an incredible six straight Tour de Frances. In terms of the popularity of modern cycling, it's impossible to ignore the impact of one of the most successful pro cycling teams in history.
After being called out by government watch agencies for overspending, USPS pulled their support of the team in 2004, and the US Postal cycling team became Team Discovery Channel. New name or not, the team continued their dominance into 2005, when Armstrong won yet another Tour. Now that Armstrong has retired from competitive racing, the Discovery Channel has decided not to renew its sponsorship for the 2008 racing season. Time will tell what happens to its stable of talented racers.
One of the pro cycling teams that is slowly climbing up the ranks of racing is the Jelly Belly cycling team. Sponsored by the Jelly Belly gourmet candy company, the team has attracted many tough young competitors. Though not as star packed as the USPS and Discovery Channel pro cycling teams of the past, the Jelly Belly cycling team has a strong nucleus of young cyclists who could make a strong push at the elite over the next few years. It will be an interesting year for cycling fans to see if any racers from these pro cycling teams stand out from the pack.
Of course, no modern discussion of modern American pro cycling teams is complete without a discussion of Floyd Landis. Landis was a former teammate of Lance Armstrong's on the USPS Cycling team until he split off to join the Phonak Hearing Systems team in 2005. Landis won the Tour de France in 2006, but tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and was fired from his team. While it's certainly a black mark on the face of competitive cycling, Ladis' name and issues have certainly brought a number of new eyes to the sport.
What does the future hold for American pro cycling teams? A lot of that is up to the American public. In general, professional cycling has seen periods of great surges in the United States, followed by great lulls. When Greg LeMond won in 1986, 1989, and 1990 cycling went through something of an American Renaissance that quickly faded, only to surge up again with the popularity of Lance Armstrong. If the public can look past the doping scandals, and pro cycling teams like this year's Discovery Channel and Jelly Belly, pro cycling teams can maintain a high level of competition. There's a good chance cycling may finally catch on as a formidable American sport.
Sources:
"Tour de France." Wikipedia. 12 Feb. 2007. 13 Feb. 2007 <
USPS Drops Cycling Sponsorship. Outside Online. 23 Apr. 2004. Mariah Media Inc.13 Feb. 2007 <http://outside.away.com/outside/news/20040423_ 1.html>.
Lance Armstrong. Discovery Channel. 2007. Discovery Communications. 13 Feb. 2007 <http://team.discovery.com/bios/armstrong.html& gt;.
Discovery Channel to Drop Cycling Team Sponsorship. ESPN.com. 9 Feb. 2007. The Associated Press.13 Feb. 2007 <http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/sto ry?id=2760508>.
Williams, Eric. "Floyd Landis Biography." Associated Content. 11 Aug. 2006. 13 Feb. 2007 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/49315 /floyd_landis_biography.html>.
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