U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team Explained

U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
Code:DSC
Registered:United States
Disbanded:2007
Generalmanager:Bill Stapleton
Teammanager:Johan Bruyneel
Discipline:Road
Status:UCI ProTeam (2005–2007)
Season:1988 - 1989
1992 - 1994
1995
1996 - 2003
2004
2005 - 2007
Oldname:Sunkyong (Amateur)
Subaru–Montgomery
Montgomery–Bell
U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Postal Service–Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Kitimage:Discovery_Channel_Jersey_2007_Tour_de_France.png

U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team was a United States-based professional road bicycle racing team. On June 15, 2004, the Discovery Channel signed a deal to become sponsor of the team for the 2004 - 2007 seasons and its name changed to Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team . From 2005 until 2007, the team was one of the 20 teams that competed in the new UCI ProTour. As part of the sponsorship deal, Lance Armstrong, the team's undisputed leader, provided on-air appearances for the Discovery Networks TV channels. The deal did not affect the rights of secondary sponsor OLN, later known as NBCSN in the US, to air major cycling events such as the Tour de France, although the two channels are competitors.

The team was directed by Belgian Johan Bruyneel, who also managed U.S. Postal. The chief mechanic was Julien DeVries. The team was co-owned by Tailwind Sports Corp. of San Francisco and Capital Sports & Entertainment of Austin, Texas. On February 10, 2007, Discovery Channel announced that it would not renew its sponsorship of the team at the end of the 2007 season.[1] On August 10, 2007, the cycling team announced that it would not search for a new sponsor, but cease operations and disband at the end of the 2007 season.[2]

In October 2012 USADA released a report saying that the team had run "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme the sport has ever seen".[3] The report contained affidavits from eleven riders on the team including Frankie Andreu, Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Levi Leipheimer, and others, describing their own usage of erythropoietin (EPO), blood transfusion, testosterone, and other banned practices during the Tour de France and other races. They also implicated seven-time Tour winner, Lance Armstrong.[4] On October 22, 2012, the UCI upheld the USADA's recommendation to strip Armstrong of all results since August 1, 1998, and ban him from cycling for life.[5] In February 2013, the US government joined Landis' False Claims Act lawsuit against Armstrong, alleging that Armstrong had defrauded the US Postal Service of sponsorship funds by violating cycling rules by using performance-enhancing drugs while riding for the team.[6]

Team rosters

Final season

On August 10, 2007, Tailwind Sports announced the end of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. Tailwind officials stopped their search for a new title sponsor for the Discovery team, citing the current tumultuous conditions within the sport of cycling.[7] Team operations continued until the end of the 2007 season.

After the 2007 season Johan Bruyneel went to rebuild Team Astana for the 2008 season. He brought with him much of Discovery's personnel, such as riders Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, Yaroslav Popovych, Tomas Vaitkus, and coach Sean Yates.

The 2007 U.S. national road champion George Hincapie signed a contract for the 2008 season Team High Road, later known as Team HTC–Columbia, run by the American Bob Stapleton.[8]

Final squad (2007)

As of April 30, 2007.[9] Ages are from August 10, 2007.

Former members of Discovery Channel

NameNationalityYears
Lance Armstrong2005
José Azevedo2005–2006
Michael Barry2005–2006
Ivan Basso2007
Manuel Beltrán2005–2006
Michael Creed2005
Antonio Cruz2005
Viatcheslav Ekimov2005–2006
Roger Hammond2005–2006
Ryder Hesjedal2005
George Hincapie2005–2007
Leif Hoste2005–2006
Benoît Joachim2005–2006
Jonathan Patrick McCarty2005
Gennady Mikhaylov2005–2006
Hayden Roulston2005
Paolo Savoldelli2005–2006
Jurgen Van den Broeck2005–2006
Max van Heeswijk2005–2006

Former members of U.S. Postal

NameNationalityYears
Lance Armstrong1998–2004
Benoît Joachim1999–2004
Frankie Andreu1998–2000
José Azevedo2004
Dariusz Baranowski1998
Michael Barry2002–2004
Tom Boonen2000–2002
Jamie Burrow2000
Dylan Casey1999–2002
David Clinger2002
Michael Creed2004
Antonio Cruz2001–2004
Julian Dean1999–2000
Pascal Deramé1998–1999
Viatcheslav Ekimov1997–1998, 2000–2004
David George1999–2000
Chad Gerlach1996
Eddy Gragus1995–1997
Tyler Hamilton1996–2000
Andrew Hampsten1996
Roberto Heras2001–2003
Ryder Hesjedal2004
George Hincapie1997–2004
Frank Høj1999
Marty Jemison1998–1999
Patrick Jonker2000
Steffen Kjærgaard2000–2003
Damon Kluck2003
Kenny Labbé2000–2004
Floyd Landis2002–2004
Juan Llaneras Rosello1998
Levi Leipheimer2000–2001
Kevin Livingston1999–2000
Glenn Magnusson1999
Chann McRae2002
Peter Meinert-Nielsen1998–1999
Gianpaolo Mondini2002
Kirk O'Bee2000
Víctor Hugo Peña2001–2004
Daniel Rincón2004
Jean-Cyril Robin1997–1998
Sven Teutenberg1998
Christian Vande Velde1998–2003
Jonathan Vaughters1998–1999
Cédric Vasseur2000
Stive Vermaut2000
Robbie Ventura2003–2004
Anton Villatoro1996–1998
Matt White2001–2003
Dave Zabriskie2003–2004

Notable wins

2005 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
2005Team Classification, Hervis Tour of AustriaDiscovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
2005-02-27George Hincapie
2005–04Overall, Tour of Georgia Tom Danielson
2005-05-19Stage 11, Giro d'Italia Paolo Savoldelli
2005-05-22Yaroslav Popovych
2005-05-29Paolo Savoldelli
2005-06-05Prologue, Dauphiné Libéré George Hincapie
2005-06-12Points Classification, Dauphiné Libéré Lance Armstrong
2005-06-12Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
2005-06-12Stage 7, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré George Hincapie
2005-07-05Stage 4 (TTT) Speed record,[10] Tour de France Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team
2005-07-17Stage 15, Tour de France George Hincapie
2005-07-20Stage 17, Tour de France Paolo Savoldelli
2005-07-24Best Young Rider Classification, Tour de France Yaroslav Popovych
2005-08-04Stage 1, Eneco Tour of Benelux Max van Heeswijk
2005-08-08Max van Heeswijk
2005-08-28George Hincapie
2005-09-02Max van Heeswijk

2006 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
2006 National Cyclo-Cross ChampionshipRoger Hammond
2006-02-21Stage 2, Tour of California George Hincapie
2006-02-26George Hincapie
2006-03-28Stage 1, Three Days of De Panne Leif Hoste
2006-03-30Stage 4, Three Days of De Panne Leif Hoste
2006-03-30KOM, Three Days of De Panne Leif Hoste
2006-03-30Leif Hoste
2006-04-25Paolo Savoldelli
2006-05-06Paolo Savoldelli
2006-05-28Paolo Savoldelli
2006-06-11 National Time Trial Cycling Championship Fumiyuki Beppu
2006-07-03George Hincapie
2006-07-09Overall, Tour of AustriaTom Danielson
2006-07-14Yaroslav Popovych
2006-07-23Overall, Sachsen Tour InternationalVladimir Gusev
2006-08-01Prologue, Deutschland TourVladimir Gusev
2006-08-09Best Young Rider, Deutschland TourVladimir Gusev
2006-08-20George Hincapie
2006-08-27 National Time Trial Cycling Championship Leif Hoste
2006-09-02George Hincapie
2006-09-04Max van Heeswijk
2006-09-06Egoi Martínez
2006-09-13Tom Danielson
2006-09-17Egoi Martínez
2006-09-17Discovery Channel
2006 National Road Race Cycling Championship Fumiyuki Beppu

2007 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
2007-02-15Metas Volantes, 2007 Vuelta a Mallorca Tomas Vaitkus
2007-02-18Prologue, 2007 Tour of California Levi Leipheimer
2007-02-23Stage 5 (ITT), 2007 Tour of California Levi Leipheimer
2007-02-25Levi Leipheimer
2007-03-02Stage 4, 2007 Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana Alberto Contador
2007-03-15Stage 4, 2007 Paris–Nice Alberto Contador
2007-03-16Stage 5, 2007 Paris–Nice Yaroslav Popovych
2007-03-18Stage 7, 2007 Paris–Nice Alberto Contador
2007-03-18Best Young Rider, 2007 Paris–Nice Alberto Contador
2007-03-18Alberto Contador
2007-03-29Stage 4, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León Alberto Contador
2007-03-30Spanish Rider Classification, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León Alberto Contador
2007-03-30Combination Classification, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León Alberto Contador
2007-03-30Overall, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León Alberto Contador
2007-04-05Stage 4 (ITT), 2007 Three Days of De Panne Stijn Devolder
2007-04-18Stage 3, 2007 Tour de Georgia Gianni Meersman
2007-04-19Stage 4 (ITT), 2007 Tour de Georgia Levi Leipheimer
2007-04-20Stage 5, 2007 Tour de Georgia Levi Leipheimer
2007-04-22Team Classification, 2007 Tour de Georgia Discovery Channel
2007-04-22Best Young Rider, 2007 Tour de Georgia Janez Brajkovič
2007-04-22Janez Brajkovič
2007-05-23Allan Davis
2007-06-01Stage 3 (ITT), 2007 Tour of Belgium Vladimir Gusev
2007-06-03Vladimir Gusev
2007-06-21Vladimir Gusev
2007-06-24Vladimir Gusev
2007-06-29 National Time Trial Cycling Championship Vladimir Gusev
2007-07-01Stijn Devolder
2007-07-12Stage 5, 2007 Tour of Austria Gianni Meersman
2007-07-14Stage 1, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake Allan Davis
2007-07-14Stage 7 (ITT), 2007 Tour of Austria Stijn Devolder
2007-07-15Overall, 2007 Tour of Austria Stijn Devolder
2007-07-16Stage 3, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake Allan Davis
2007-07-18Stage 5, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake Allan Davis
2007-07-19Stage 6, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake Allan Davis
2007-07-21Stage 8, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake José Luis Rubiera
2007-07-22Stage 9, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake Allan Davis
2007-07-22Allan Davis
2007-07-22Stage 14, 2007 Tour de France Alberto Contador
2007-07-28Stage 19 (ITT), 2007 Tour de France Levi Leipheimer
2007-07-29Team Classification, 2007 Tour de France Discovery Channel
2007-07-29Best Young Rider, 2007 Tour de France Alberto Contador
2007-07-29Alberto Contador
2007-08-13Stage 2, 2007 Tour de l'Ain Brian Vandborg
2007-09-02Levi Leipheimer
2007-09-12Stage 2, 2007 Tour of Missouri George Hincapie
2007-09-13Stage 3, 2007 Tour of Missouri Levi Leipheimer
2007-09-15Jason McCartney
2007-09-16George Hincapie

U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team history

The US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team and later named the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team presented by Berry Floor operated from 1996 through 2004. The United States Postal Service was the title (primary) sponsor from 1996 through 2004 and the team was nicknamed the "Blue Train". Berry Floor, a Belgian flooring company, was the secondary sponsor, also known as a Presenting Sponsor. Domestically the USPS Pro Cycling Team was presented by Alloc, the American subsidiary of Berry Floor.

Lance Armstrong won six Tours de France (1999–2004) (that were later stripped) with US Postal, and in 2003 Roberto Heras—at that time a US Postal rider—won the Vuelta a España. Armstrong went on to win a seventh Tour de France in 2005 (that was later also stripped), after the USPS contract and sponsorship ended.

The US Postal Service announced that it would cease sponsorship at the end of the 2004 racing season when its eight-year contract expired. It had previously been under fire for the expenditure from organizations such as Postal Watch, a website critical of the United States Postal Service. Legitimate problems of mismanagement and sloppy accounting were pointed out by the Postal Service itself, via the USPS Office of the Inspector General. Before the expiration of the USPS contract, Armstrong insisted that he would only continue to ride with the USPS team structure. This demand was met on June 15, 2004, when Discovery Networks stepped in and agreed to sponsor the team for the next three years as the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team.

1996 results

With the help of Thomas Weisel and Eddie Borysewicz, the United States Postal Service begins its reign as title sponsor to what has become the most successful cycling team from the United States. Borysewicz served as the team's directeur sportif and the team raced mainly in domestic events in the United States.

DateRaceLocationWinner
1996Eddy Gragus
1996Eddy Gragus

1997 results

Thomas Weisel brought in Mark Gorski, the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Men's 1000 m Sprint (Scratch) event, as team manager. Due in large part to Russian Viatcheslav Ekimov and his key stage wins at Paris–Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, the USPS squad got its first invitation to ride in the Tour de France.

DateRaceLocationWinner
1997Viatcheslav Ekimov
1997Viatcheslav Ekimov
1997Eddy Gragus
1997 National Road Race Championship Viatcheslav Ekimov
1997George Hincapie

1998 results

Lance Armstrong joined the US Postal team in late 1997, when returning to professional cycling following his cancer treatments.

DateRaceLocationWinner
1998George Hincapie
1998Lance Armstrong
1998Lance Armstrong
1998Lance Armstrong
1998Killington (Vermont) Stage Race George Hincapie
1998First Union Invitational (Lancaster, Pa.) Frankie Andreu

1999 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
1999Marty Jemison
1999First Union Classic (Trenton, New Jersey) George Hincapie
1999Redlands Classic (Redlands, California) Christian Vande Velde
1999Christian Vande Velde

2001 results

In 2001, the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team was named the USOC Team of the Year. Also, Armstrong was named USOC SportsMan of the Year, which he also won in 1999.

DateRaceLocationWinner
2001-04-11George Hincapie
2001-09George Hincapie

2002 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
2002-06Chann McRae
2002-07-18Víctor Hugo Peña

2003 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
2003-07-09Stage 4 (TTT), Tour de France U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team
2003-09-27Stage 20, Vuelta a España Roberto Heras
2003-09-28Overall, Vuelta a España Roberto Heras

2004 results

DateRaceLocationWinner
2004-04-01George Hincapie
2004-07-07Stage 4 (TTT), Tour de France U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team

Early history and notable wins

1988 - 1989  - Sunkyong (Amateur)

Eddie Borysewicz, known as "Eddy B", was the road coach of a pro/amateur cycling team formed by George Taylor and sponsored by Sunkyong, a South Korea-based manufacturing and industrial conglomerate. At the 1984 Summer Olympics, Borysewicz served as the U.S. Olympic Cycling Coach and led American cyclists to an unprecedented nine Olympic medals.

1992 - 1994  - Subaru–Montgomery

Subaru and Montgomery Securities, led by Thomas Weisel, serve as co-title sponsors.

DateRaceLocationWinner
1990Tour de Gastown Jonas Carney
1991Stage 2, Redlands Classic Jim Copeland
1991Tour de GastownLance Armstrong
1991Stage 6, Redlands Classic Krzysztof Wiatr
1992Bart Bowen
1992Bart Bowen
1993Stage 1, Redlands Classic Miguel Arroyo

1995  - Montgomery-Bell

Montgomery Securities Chief Executive Thomas W. Weisel, an avid cyclist, continued his support for cycling.

DateRaceLocationWinner
1995Clark Sheehan
1995Eddy Gragus

Sponsors

The following companies and organizations served as sponsors for the 2007 squad:[11]

Notes and References

  1. News: Discovery Channel to end sponsorship . Sue . George . 2007-02-10 . 2007-02-10 . Cyclingnews.com.
  2. Web site: Armstrong's Former Team To Disband. https://archive.today/20130102190005/http://www.forbes.com/sport/2007/08/10/armstrong-cycling-discovery-lifestyle-sports-cx_pm_0810tour.html. dead. January 2, 2013. forbes.com. 2009-01-08. 2007-08-10.
  3. News: Matt Slater . Lance Armstrong: Usada report reveals doping evidence . BBC Sport . 2012-10-10.
  4. http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/ U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team Investigation
  5. News: Lance Armstrong stripped of all seven Tour de France wins by UCI . 2012-10-22 . 2012-10-26 . bbc.co.uk.
  6. Ingram, David, "U.S. sues disgraced cyclist Armstrong for sponsor money", Reuters, 22 February 2013; retrieved 27 February 2013
  7. News: Laura . Weislo . Discovery disbands: Tailwind Sports confirms team's end . CyclingNews .
  8. News: Discovery gives up sponsor hunt. 2007-08-10 . VeloNews . 2007-08-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929083505/http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/13071.0.html . 2007-09-29.
  9. Web site: Team Discovery Channel Challenge 2007 – THE RIDERS . 2007-02-13.
  10. Web site: Le Tour en chiffres Les autres records. fr. LeTour.fr. 2009-02-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20090320093129/http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/COURSE/docs/histo_09.pdf. 2009-03-20. dead.
  11. Web site: ThePaceline.com – Sponsors.