| Team information | ||
|---|---|---|
| UCI code | DSC | |
| Based | United States | |
| Founded | 1988 | |
| Disbanded | 2007 | |
| Status | UCI ProTeam (2005–2007) | |
| Key personnel | ||
| General manager | Bill Stapleton | |
| Directeur sportif | Johan Bruyneel | |
| Team name history | ||
| 1988–1989 1992–1994 1995 1996–2003 2004 2005–2007 |
Sunkyong (Amateur) Subaru-Montgomery Montgomery-Bell U.S. Postal Service U.S. Postal Service-Discovery Channel Discovery Channel |
|
|
|
||
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team (UCI Team Code: DSC) was a United States-based professional road bicycle racing team. It was the continuation of the 2004 U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team. Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner, was its leader (albeit only during the Tour) until July 2005. From 2005 until 2007, the team was one of the 20 teams that competed in the new UCI ProTour.
On June 15, 2004, the Discovery Channel signed a deal to become sponsor of the team for the 2004-2007 seasons. As part of the sponsorship deal, Armstrong provided on-air appearances for the Discovery Networks TV channels. The deal did not affect the rights of secondary sponsor OLN, now known as Versus 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, TX.
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]
Contents |
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. [3] Team operations continued until the end of the 2007 season.
After the 2007 season Johan Bruyneel went to rebuild the shamed and suspended 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 with Team High Road, now Team HTC-Columbia, run by the American Bob Stapleton.[4]
As of April 30, 2007.[5]
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Nationality | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lance Armstrong | United States | 2005 |
| José Azevedo | Portugal | 2005–2006 |
| Michael Barry | Canada | 2005–2006 |
| Ivan Basso | Italy | 2007 |
| Manuel Beltran | Spain | 2005–2006 |
| Michael Creed | United States | 2005 |
| Antonio Cruz | United States | 2005 |
| Viatcheslav Ekimov | Russia | 2005–2006 |
| Roger Hammond | United Kingdom | 2005–2006 |
| Ryder Hesjedal | Canada | 2005 |
| George Hincapie | United States | 2005–2007 |
| Leif Hoste | Belgium | 2005–2006 |
| Benoît Joachim | Luxembourg | 2005–2006 |
| Jonathan Patrick McCarty | United States | 2005 |
| Gennady Mikhaylov | Russia | 2005–2006 |
| Hayden Roulston | New Zealand | 2005 |
| Paolo Savoldelli | Italy | 2005–2006 |
| Jurgen Van Den Broeck | Belgium | 2005–2006 |
| Max Van Heeswijk | Netherlands | 2005–2006 |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Team Classification, Hervis Tour of Austria | Austria | Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team |
| 2005-02-27 | Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne | Belgium | George Hincapie |
| 2005-04 | Overall, Tour of Georgia | United States | Tom Danielson |
| 2005-05-19 | Stage 11, Giro d'Italia | Italy | Paolo Savoldelli |
| 2005-05-22 | Overall, Volta a Catalunya | Spain | Yaroslav Popovych |
| 2005-05-29 | General Classification, Giro d'Italia | Italy | Paolo Savoldelli |
| 2005-06-05 | Prologue, Dauphiné Libéré | France | George Hincapie |
| 2005-06-12 | Points Classification, Dauphiné Libéré | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2005-06-12 | Team Classification, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré | France |
Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team |
| 2005-06-12 | Stage 7, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré | France | George Hincapie |
| 2005-07-05 | Stage 4 (TTT) Speed record,[7] Tour de France | France | Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team |
| 2005-07-17 | Stage 15, Tour de France | France | George Hincapie |
| 2005-07-20 | Stage 17, Tour de France | France | Paolo Savoldelli |
| 2005-07-23 | Stage 20, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2005-07-24 | Best Young Rider Classification, Tour de France | France | Yaroslav Popovych |
| 2005-07-24 | General Classification, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2005-08-04 | Stage 1, Eneco Tour of Benelux | Netherlands | Max van Heeswijk |
| 2005-08-08 | Stage 5 Eneco Tour of Benelux | Belgium | Max van Heeswijk |
| 2005-08-28 | GP Ouest-France | France | George Hincapie |
| 2005-09-02 | Stage 6, Vuelta a España | Spain | Max van Heeswijk |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | United Kingdom National Cyclo-Cross Championship | United Kingdom | Roger Hammond |
| 2006-02-21 | Stage 2, Tour of California | United States | George Hincapie |
| 2006-02-26 | Stage 5, Tour of California | United States | George Hincapie |
| 2006-03-28 | Stage 1, Three Days of De Panne | Belgium | Leif Hoste |
| 2006-03-30 | Stage 4, Three Days of De Panne | Belgium | Leif Hoste |
| 2006-03-30 | KOM, Three Days of De Panne | Belgium | Leif Hoste |
| 2006-03-30 | Overall, Three Days of De Panne | Belgium | Leif Hoste |
| 2006-04-25 | Prologue, Tour de Romandie | France | Paolo Savoldelli |
| 2006-05-06 | Prologue, Giro d'Italia | Italy | Paolo Savoldelli |
| 2006-05-28 | Combination Classification (Maglia Blu), Giro d'Italia | Italy | Paolo Savoldelli |
| 2006-06-11 | Japan National Time Trial Cycling Championship | Japan | Fumiyuki Beppu |
| 2006-07-03 | Maillot jaune After Stage 1, Tour de France | France | George Hincapie |
| 2006-07-09 | Overall, Tour of Austria | Austria | Tom Danielson |
| 2006-07-14 | Stage 12, Tour de France | France | Yaroslav Popovych |
| 2006-07-23 | Overall, Sachen Tour International | Germany | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2006-08-01 | Prologue, Deutschland Tour | Germany | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2006-08-09 | Best Young Rider, Deutschland Tour | Germany | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2006-08-20 | Stage 4 (ITT), Eneco Tour of Benelux | Netherlands | George Hincapie |
| 2006-08-27 | Belgium National Time Trial Cycling Championship | Belgium | Leif Hoste |
| 2006-09-02 | United States National Road Race Cycling Championship | United States | George Hincapie |
| 2006-09-04 | Stage 1, Tour de Pologne | Poland | Max van Heeswijk |
| 2006-09-06 | Stage 11, Vuelta a España | Spain | Egoi Martínez |
| 2006-09-13 | Stage 17, Vuelta a España | Spain | Tom Danielson |
| 2006-09-17 | King of the Mountains, Vuelta a España | Spain | Egoi Martínez |
| 2006-09-17 | Team Classification, Vuelta a España | Spain | Discovery Channel |
| 2006 | Japan National Road Race Cycling Championship | Japan | Fumiyuki Beppu |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-02-15 | Metas Volantes, 2007 Vuelta a Mallorca | Spain | Tomas Vaitkus |
| 2007-02-18 | Prologue, 2007 Tour of California | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-02-23 | Stage 5 (ITT), 2007 Tour of California | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-02-25 | Overall, 2007 Tour of California | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-03-02 | Stage 4, 2007 Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana | Spain | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-15 | Stage 4, 2007 Paris–Nice | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-16 | Stage 5, 2007 Paris–Nice | France | Yaroslav Popovych |
| 2007-03-18 | Stage 7, 2007 Paris–Nice | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-18 | Best Young Rider, 2007 Paris–Nice | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-18 | Overall, 2007 Paris–Nice | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-29 | Stage 4, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León | Spain | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-30 | Spanish Rider Classification, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León | Spain | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-30 | Combination Classification, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León | Spain | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-03-30 | Overall, 2007 Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León | Spain | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-04-05 | Stage 4 (ITT), 2007 Three Days of De Panne | Belgium | Stijn Devolder |
| 2007-04-18 | Stage 3, 2007 Tour de Georgia | United States | Gianni Meersman |
| 2007-04-19 | Stage 4 (ITT), 2007 Tour de Georgia | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-04-20 | Stage 5, 2007 Tour de Georgia | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-04-22 | Team Classification, 2007 Tour de Georgia | United States | Discovery Channel |
| 2007-04-22 | Best Young Rider, 2007 Tour de Georgia | United States | Janez Brajkovic |
| 2007-04-22 | Overall, 2007 Tour de Georgia | United States | Janez Brajkovic |
| 2007-05-23 | Stage 3, 2007 Volta a Catalunya | Spain | Allan Davis |
| 2007-06-01 | Stage 3 (ITT), 2007 Tour of Belgium | Belgium | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2007-06-03 | Overall, 2007 Tour of Belgium | Belgium | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2007-06-21 | Stage 6, 2007 Tour de Suisse | Switzerland | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2007-06-24 | Mountains Classification, 2007 Tour de Suisse | Switzerland | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2007-06-29 | Russia National Time Trial Cycling Championship | Russia | Vladimir Gusev |
| 2007-07-01 | Belgium National Road Race Championships | Belgium | Stijn Devolder |
| 2007-07-12 | Stage 5, 2007 Tour of Austria | Austria | Gianni Meersman |
| 2007-07-14 | Stage 1, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | Allan Davis |
| 2007-07-14 | Stage 7 (ITT), 2007 Tour of Austria | Austria | Stijn Devolder |
| 2007-07-15 | Overall, 2007 Tour of Austria | Austria | Stijn Devolder |
| 2007-07-16 | Stage 3, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | Allan Davis |
| 2007-07-18 | Stage 5, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | Allan Davis |
| 2007-07-19 | Stage 6, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | Allan Davis |
| 2007-07-21 | Stage 8, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | José Luis Rubiera |
| 2007-07-22 | Stage 9, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | Allan Davis |
| 2007-07-22 | Points Classification, 2007 Tour of Qinghai Lake | China | Allan Davis |
| 2007-07-22 | Stage 14, 2007 Tour de France | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-07-28 | Stage 19 (ITT), 2007 Tour de France | France | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-07-29 | Team Classification, 2007 Tour de France | France | Discovery Channel |
| 2007-07-29 | Best Young Rider, 2007 Tour de France | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-07-29 | Overall, 2007 Tour de France | France | Alberto Contador |
| 2007-08-13 | Stage 2, 2007 Tour de l'Ain | France | Brian Vandborg |
| 2007-09-02 | United States National Road Race Cycling Championship | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-09-12 | Stage 2, 2007 Tour of Missouri | United States | George Hincapie |
| 2007-09-13 | Stage 3, 2007 Tour of Missouri | United States | Levi Leipheimer |
| 2007-09-15 | Stage 14, 2007 Vuelta a España | Spain | Jason McCartney |
| 2007-09-16 | Overall, 2007 Tour of Missouri | United States | George Hincapie |
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, and during its time fielded one of the biggest names in modern cycling: Lance Armstrong.
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.
Armstrong won six Tours de France (1999–2004) 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, after the USPS contract and sponsorship ended.
The US Postal Service announced that they would cease sponsorship at the end of the 2004 racing season when their eight-year contract expired. They 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.
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.
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | USPRO National Road Race Championships | United States | Eddy Gragus |
| 1996 | Stage Tour of China | United States | Eddy Gragus |
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.
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Stage, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré | France | Viatcheslav Ekimov |
| 1997 | Stage, Paris–Nice | France | Viatcheslav Ekimov |
| 1997 | Stage, Redlands Classic | United States | Eddy Gragus |
| 1997 | Russia National Road Race Championship | Russia | Viatcheslav Ekimov |
| 1997 | Stage, Setmana Catalana | Spain | George Hincapie |
Lance Armstrong joined the US Postal team in late 1998, when returning to professional cycling following his cancer treatments.
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | USPRO National Road Race Championships | United States | George Hincapie |
| 1998 | Overall, Tour de Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Lance Armstrong |
| 1998 | Stage, Tour de Luxembourg | Luxembourg | Lance Armstrong |
| 1998 | Overall, Rheinland Pfalz | Germany | Lance Armstrong |
| 1998 | Killington (Vermont) Stage Race | United States | George Hincapie |
| 1998 | First Union Invitational (Lancaster, Pa.) | United States | Frankie Andreu |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-06-03 | Prologue (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999-07-11 | Stage 8 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999-07-13 | Stage 9, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999-07-24 | Stage 19 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999-07-25 | Overall, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999 | USPRO National Road Race Championships | United States | Marty Jemison |
| 1999 | Stage, Circuit de la Sarthe | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999 | Stage, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999 | Stage, Route du Sud | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 1999 | First Union Classic (Trenton, NJ) | United States | George Hincapie |
| 1999 | Redlands Classic (Redlands, CA) | United States | Christian Vandevelde |
| 1999 | Best Young Rider Classification, Four Days of Dunkirk | France | Christian Vandevelde |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-07-21 | Stage 19 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2000-07-23 | Overall, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2000 | GP Eddy Merckx | France | Lance Armstrong and Viatcheslav Ekimov |
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.
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-04-11 | Gent–Wevelgem | Belgium | George Hincapie |
| 2001-07-17 | Stage 10, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2001-07-18 | Stage 11 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2001-07-01 | Stage 13, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2001-07-27 | Stage 18 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2001-07-28 | Overall, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2001-09 | San Francisco Grand Prix | United States | George Hincapie |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-06 | USPRO National Road Race Championships | United States | Chann McRae |
| 2002-07-06 | Prologue (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2002-07-18 | Stage 11, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2002-07-18 | Overall, Vuelta a Murcia | Spain | Víctor Hugo Peña |
| 2002-07-19 | Stage 12, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2002-07-27 | Stage 19 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2002-07-28 | Overall, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-07-09 | Stage 4 (TTT), Tour de France | France | U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team |
| 2003-07-21 | Stage 15, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2003-07-27 | Overall, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2003-09-27 | Stage 20, Vuelta a España | Spain | Roberto Heras |
| 2003-09-28 | Overall, Vuelta a España | Spain | Roberto Heras |
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-04-01 | Overall, Three Days of De Panne | Belgium | George Hincapie |
| 2004-04-22 | Stage 3, Tour de Georgia | United States | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-04-23 | Stage 4, Tour de Georgia | United States | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-04-24 | Overall, Tour de Georgia | United States | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-07-07 | Stage 4 (TTT), Tour de France | France | U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team |
| 2004-07-17 | Stage 13, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-07-20 | Stage 15, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-07-21 | Stage 16 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-07-22 | Stage 17, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-07-24 | Stage 19 (ITT), Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
| 2004-07-25 | Overall, Tour de France | France | Lance Armstrong |
Eddie Borysewicz, known as "Eddy B", began an amateur squad 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.
Subaru and Montgomery Securities, led by Thomas Weisel, serve as co-title sponsors.
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Tour de Gastown | Canada | Jonas Carney |
| 1991 | Stage 2, Redlands Classic | United States | Jim Copeland |
| 1991 | Tour de Gastown | Canada | Lance Armstrong |
| 1991 | Stage 6, Redlands Classic | United States | Krzysztof Wiatr |
| 1992 | Herald Sun Tour | Australia | Bart Bowen |
| 1992 | USPRO National Road Race Championships | United States | Bart Bowen |
| 1993 | Stage 1, Redlands Classic | United States | Miguel Arroyo |
Montgomery Securities Chief Executive Thomas W. Weisel, an avid cyclist, continued his support for cycling.
| Date | Race | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Stage 8, Tour Du Pont | United States | Clark Sheehan |
| 1995 | Stage 4, Tour de Pologne | Poland | Eddy Gragus |
The following companies and organizations served as sponsors for the 2007 squad:[8]
The name "Team Discovery Channel" was originally conceived by the writers of the The Simpsons for the episode Lemon of Troy. When Bart, Milhouse, Nelson, Martin, Todd, and Database split into teams to find where the residents of Shelbyville have hidden Springfield's lemon tree, Martin suggests that his team be named "Team Discovery Channel".