Tailwind Sports has abandoned its search for a sponsor to replace Discovery Channel at the end of this season.
After putting two cyclists on the podium in the Tour de France last month, the team that Lance Armstrong made famous will race for the final time at the Vuelta a Espana and Tour of Missouri in September.
That means current members George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Alberto Contador and others are free to find other cycling teams where they can ply their trade.
Update: Tailwind team officials held a conference call Friday night regarding the decision. VeloNews reports that Tailwind owners were close to signing a sponsor, but didn't think the overall atmosphere in cycling was conducive to continuing:
The collective weight of doping scandals, political in-fighting, tanking credibility and perceived chaos within the ranks of professional cycling proved to be too much.
CyclingNews quotes team manager Bill Stapleton:
“We can control what goes on in our own team but we can't control what goes on in the sport and with other teams. We couldn't in good conscious make a recommendation to a company to spend the sort of money that would be required to sponsor the team, in the current environment.
“There are all kinds of issues in the sport, doping and others. It's not an environment conducive to a lot of investment.”
Discovery picked up sponsorship of the team beginning in 2005, getting the publicity associated with Armstrong's 7th Tour de France victory in his retirement year. The team was previously sponsored by the US Postal Service.
While Armstrong was the pubic face on the team, sports director Johan Bruyneel worked behind the scenes to accomplish 8 Tour de France victories in 9 years. A press release from Tailwind Sports makes it appear that Bruyneel is leaving the sport (VeloNews and CyclingNews confirmed that he is retiring):
“In only nine years, Bruyneel has created a legacy that will live on in cycling history, and his departure from the sport was not an easy choice.”
Said Bruyneel:
“When I came to direct this team in 1999 I never would have imagined that we could achieve this level of success. It was an amazing time in my life and the lives of all the staff and riders associated with this team.
“What I will miss are the staff, riders and the excitement of the races, but not all the in fighting between the teams. This team has become my family and I am very sad to think that we will not be together next season. 2007 has been our most successful season ever and I expect the remainder of the season to continue on that same path.”
Discovery had a three-year contract with the team, and let Tailwind know late last year that it wasn't interested in renewing after this season. Although Tailwind said it was in talks with several companies and that a deal was imminent, it has been suggested that many sponsors are getting cold feet because of the doping controversies in the past year.
See the full press release at The PaceLine.com (free registration may be required).
Interestingly, as the Discovery-sponsored team fades another American team is building up for a run at Europe next season.
Team Slipstream powered by Chipotle recently signed US cyclists David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde, as well as Brit David Millar and Swedish cyclist Magnus Backstedt.
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