Disco Dis Way, Disco Dat Way

[ODB]

http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/tou...to931871.shtml

Who will lead Team Discovery next year? Jan, Floyd, Levi, Ivan?

[Mark57]

Pretty safe bet that this was the last tour for Eki and probably George. I don't know if they'll go for a big name GC contender or if they'll look for young talent in and outside of the Disco squad.

[Dogmama]

I heard Levi signed with Disco.

[Mark57]

Yep.

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/10582.0.html

Leipheimer leaving Gerolsteiner for Discovery
By VeloNews Interactive

This report filed July 25, 2006

Levi Leipheimer is leaving Gerolsteiner at the end of the season, and will sign for Discovery Channel, which is expected to confirm his signing later today.

According to Gerolsteiner's bike sponsor, Specialized, Leipheimer called the company after the Tour to announce his transfer to the Discovery Channel team effective January 1, 2007.

"My best results, wins at the Tour of Germany and Dauphiné Libéré, happened on my S-Works Tarmac SL, but Discovery made me an offer I could not refuse," he was quoted as saying, while further expressing his thanks for Specialized's support.

Gerolsteiner spokesman Mathias Wieland told www.Radsport-Aktiv.de: "We had agreed with Levi that we would sit down together after the Tour and make the decision. Levi wanted to know earlier, and told us that he was having discussions with other teams."

Leipheimer is expected to ride the August 1-9 Deutschland Tour, where he is the defending champion.

And this confirmation:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...ul06/jul26news

Discovery confirms Leipheimer, adds two more

The Discovery Channel team has formally announced its signing of Levi Leipheimer, who rode for the team in its previous incarnation as US Postal Service in 2000 and 2001. While riding for US Postal in 2001, Leipheimer achieved his best result in a grand tour, finishing third in the Vuelta a Espana. He's clearly hoping that returning to Johan Bruyneel's outfit will help him regain the form he displayed in 2001.

"I'm very excited about returning to the Discovery Channel Team, its family of sponsors and working with Johan Bruyneel once again, Leipheimer said in a Discovery team statement. "This team has a long history of success and

I plan to work hard to continue their winning ways in 2007."

Discovery Channel also announced the acquisition of two new faces for 2007: Portuguese rider Sergio Paulinho (26), currently with Astana-Würth and Lithuanian Thomas Vaitkus (24) who joins Discovery from AG2R Prévoyance. Vaitkus was the under-23 time trial world champion in 2002, a race in which Paulinho took the bronze. Subsequently Paulinho won the silver medal in the 2004 Olympic road race, while Vaitkus won a stage of the Giro d'Italia earlier this year.

Discovery directeur sportif Johan Bruyneel said of the additions, "All three of these riders have proven themselves in the Pro Tour ranks and I expect them to fit well into our team. Each of them brings different strengths and I am excited about having them ride for Discovery Channel in 2007."

[ODB]

Cool, now who's leaving?

[Kaiser]

I'm a big Leipheimer fan, but if I was Johann, I'd take Ulrich any day. I see Ulrich as a podium GC contender in multistages, while Levi has had less success at the TdF (while admittedly beating Jan on his own turf this year in the Tour of Germany).

Anyway, it'll be a happy return to his old team, a good fit, and I wish him the best.

[emartin10]

Wonder how good Jan is without doping though? Honestly, I give all these guys the benefit of the doubt, but for a team to fire Jan, they had to have a pretty good reason...Just a thought...

E

[ODB]

I'm with you E. Why hire a guy who lost out on one tour and got kicked off the team. Plus he's probably past his prime so why would Disco take a chance? I just wonder what will happen with George. Is he done?

[kuri]

My guess is George is about done.

Isn't Landis a free agent?

Granted he's got some hurdles to overcome and I doubt Disco would even consider it after gettin Levi but I'm surprised they didn't go after Floyd.

[Kaiser]

As my very good riding club buddies relayed after they got to talk to a professional sognior (sp?) who worked for a number of teams, every single one of those guys in the pro European tour is on something. For the longest time I refused to believe it, even with everyone coming at LA, but after Frankie Andreu and his wife were forced to testify against him (and they were friends too) after Tyler was caught (a very good LA friend), that pretty much did it for me. I always said if anyone is clean, it is Lance (due to his naturally high VO2 max and his bodyweight stripping cancer). If he is not, then I think everyone else is in too. So I viewed the team directors' move at the beginning of the TdF as a sign that they wanted to sned out a shot to all the teams to start cleaning up now before cycling becomes the next baseball.

So I don't think the Jan/Operacion Puerto would be an issue one way or the other.

[ODB]

Originally Posted by Kaiser

So I don't think the Jan/Operacion Puerto would be an issue one way or the other.

K - Don't forget about the press factor. Even if everyone else is doing it the only ones that matter are the ones that are in the spotlight. Disco doesn't want that hassle. I'm pretty sure a lot of pro baseball players are juiced but you only really hear about a few in the news. I'm also pretty sure a lot of men in power have mistresses or at least affairs but you only really hear about the ones in the spotlight.

[emartin10]

Yeah, I'm reading Lance Armstrong's War, and they talk a lot about doping in there. I've just heard from so many people that the TdF riders are on another planet physically, and it just sucks that if one guy does it, everyone else has to in order to just keep up. I still like to think there are some good guys out there though...

E