Discovery Channel signs off

DirtRoadie wrote:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...lines-business

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...hut-down_N.htm

They were about out of riders anyhow.

DR

------------------
Despite its sterling record, Tailwind
has been unable to sign a title sponsor
for the 2008 season. Discovery Channel's
three-year contract expires this year
and new corporate management decided
against extending the deal.
Discovery, like many other cycling
teams, has been affected by the doping
scandals that have damaged the sport's
reputation in recent years. Although no
team member has ever been sanctioned for
doping while on the squad, the team had
to deal with the issue.
------
Doping has killed cycling, now Levi can
get a real job. Once all of the
sponsorship money runs away, then what?
Even Lance's stock has dropped, have
you noticed? The only thing that keeps
Lance a float is the cancer fight stuff
he does. Greg predicted this, why
wasn't anyone listening?

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...lines-business

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...hut-down_N.htm

They were about out of riders anyhow.

DR

On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:42:52 -0700, Crescentius Vespasianus
wrote:

Doping has killed cycling, now Levi can
get a real job.

Right. There will be no bike racing at all due to doping. Right.
--
JT
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On Aug 10, 6:46 am, John Forrest Tomlinson
wrote:
On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 06:42:52 -0700, Crescentius Vespasianus

wrote:
Doping has killed cycling, now Levi can
get a real job.

Right. There will be no bike racing at all due to doping. Right.
--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visithttp://www.jt10000.com
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Didn't you see Telekom, and Nordmilch and pull the plug earlier this
week? Oh, yeah they didn't.
Bill C

"DirtRoadie" wrote in message
ps.com...
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...lines-business

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...hut-down_N.htm

They were about out of riders anyhow.

This has to be the greatest news ever to most of the group here.

On Aug 10, 3:06 pm, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:
"DirtRoadie" wrote in message

ps.com...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...07791.story?co...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...very-shut-down...

They were about out of riders anyhow.

This has to be the greatest news ever to most of the group here.

It's Karma, Tom, it's Karma.

need more sun wrote:
On Aug 10, 3:06 pm, "Tom Kunich" cyclintom@yahoo. com wrote:
"DirtRoadie" wrote in message

ps.com...

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...07791.story?co...
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...very-shut-down...
They were about out of riders anyhow.
This has to be the greatest news ever to most of the group here.

It's Karma, Tom, it's Karma.

I'll see your Karma, and raise you a schadenfreude.

On Aug 10, 3:56 am, DirtRoadie wrote:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...07791.story?co...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...very-shut-down...

They were about out of riders anyhow.

I was wondering what was up with Discovery when the rumor of Hincapie
riding for T-Mobile next year popped up after the Tour. I figured he
would be one of the first ones informed of any monumental changes.

R

DirtRoadie wrote:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-s...lines-business

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycli...hut-down_N.htm

They were about out of riders anyhow.

DR



How does one interpret this?:

"This was a difficult decision, not made any easier by our recent Tour de France success," general manager Bill Stapleton said in a statement. "We were in talks with a number of companies about the opportunity and were confident a new sponsor was imminent. We have chosen, however, to end those discussions."

1. We could have gotten a sponsor, but we're no longer interested, as cycling just has too much PR downside.
2. We were confident we'd get a sponsor, but we're not going to get a sponsor.

Dan

How does one interpret this?:

"This was a difficult decision, not made any easier by our recent Tour de
France success," general manager Bill Stapleton said in a statement. "We
were in talks with a number of companies about the opportunity and were
confident a new sponsor was imminent. We have chosen, however, to end
those discussions."

1. We could have gotten a sponsor, but we're no longer interested, as
cycling just has too much PR downside.
2. We were confident we'd get a sponsor, but we're not going to get a
sponsor.

Dan

Given that everything is in past tense, I don't see much confusion. They
wanted a sponsor, they thought they were close, but they were essentially
strung along and the time by which the needed to have something set in
concrete is past.

And with what the stock market's been doing lately, their luck wasn't likely
to change if they were to hold out longer (which they didn't know would be
the case when this decision was made).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com