Lance bought US Postal...

[The Reverend Floater]

...you heard it here first! He's in town at the team owner's place. Word on the street here is that they completed the negotiations last night. We'll see....

[The Reverend Floater]

Originally posted by Tap
what do you mean "bought it"? I thought the contract was picked up by Discovery Channel?

are you still on your Journey high?

From my very, very limited understanding, Lance bought the team but it will be sponsored by Discovery Channel. Just like this last dude owned the team, though it was sponsored by US Postal.

Don't ask me, Tap. I just work here and rock.

[Cornholio]

!

[The Reverend Floater]

Originally posted by Tap
wheel in the sky keeps on turning....

Believe that. And tell your friend, N, to quit telling the story of how we know eachother "through some website" in front of chicks at the bar. It makes me sound like a e-gay dater and it's killin' my game!

[Stu Gotz]

If true, I believe that the previous owner of the team was Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's agent.

I am assuming that it is a bit like Nascar. There is a team owner (DEI, etc) who manages the day to day operations of the team. So the USPS (or Discovery) only sponsor the team, they do not own it. However, they are the ones who get all of the publicity(which you would expect for footing a large portion of the bill).

[Cornholio]

The team was owned by Tailwind Sports, whose CEO is Stapleton.

Edit: also discovered that Stapleton holds a controlling interest in Tailwind, but (as of May 6th) Johann Bruneel and Lance also held significant portions.

So, maybe he just bought out Stapleton's controlling share.

[Viva]

Regardless of ownership, Axel will be riding for Lance again! Axel's a great guy, even though, many years ago, he stole Jodi from me.


from Velonews:

Merckx and Hammond join Discovery
Axel Merckx and Paris-Roubaix podium finisher Roger Hammond are set to join Discovery Channel for 2005. According to a report in the Het Niewsblad newspaper, Hammond has signed a two-year contract to join the American team while Merckx will rejoin with Lance Armstrong, who rode together in the mid-1990s at Motorola.

Hammond, a British rider on Mr. Bookmaker.com, finished third in this year's Paris-Roubaix. Merckx, the son of cycling legend Eddy Merckx, enjoyed a fine Tour de France, going on the attack on several occasions and finishing 21st overall.

Earlier this week, Discovery Channel announced that promising grand-tour contender Yaroslav Popovych was joining the team with a three-year contract.

[gonzo]

Originally posted by The Reverend Floater

Don't ask me, Tap. I just work here and rock.

[Greydon Clark]

Someone needs to pay their debt to the SEC.

[Schmear]

Originally posted by The Reverend Floater
It makes me sound like a e-gay dater and it's killin' my game!

You're secret's safe with me, snuggle wuffins!

[ak_powder_monkey]

All I've got to say is: GO TYLER 2005

[Stu Gotz]

T-Dub is Thomas Weisel.

Investment banker extraordinaire. Founded Montgomery Securities, then sold that beyatch to the BofA suckers. Runs merchant bank that bears his name.

[Artie Fufkin]

Originally posted by The Reverend Floater
...you heard it here first! He's in town at the team owner's place. Word on the street here is that they completed the negotiations last night. We'll see....

Any further information to be divulged on this matter? If it's true I think it would be a logical step in Lance's cycling career. As he phases out, it would be cool to see Lance put together and run an ass kicking team.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, well, if he was a real athlete, he'd buy the Yankees or Cowboys, or sumthin'.

[The Reverend Floater]

Originally posted by Stu Gotz
T-Dub is Thomas Weisel.

Investment banker extraordinaire. Founded Montgomery Securities, then sold that beyatch to the BofA suckers. Runs merchant bank that bears his name.

And this is the man who Lance is visiting. I'm not sure of the details, but I believe Lance is buying him out and one other guy. I don't know, though. This is all just small town "telephone".

[The Reverend Floater]

This just in...


My sources are reporting more action on the Lance front. Now I'm not sure what the hell is going on, because the rest of US Postal checked in last night (buddy is property manager, they rented the biggest house this company had, and around here, that's really big). Lance is at that other dude's house, though. And apparently the team was asking where the best road biking is around here...oh the irony! There is no sissy biking, foo! Only mountain biking here!

Can't wait to get my ass handed to me by US Postal on the trail.

[Aldo]

Originally posted by The Reverend Floater

Can't wait to get my ass handed to me by US Postal on the trail.

" Any way you want it, that's the way you need it, any way you want it, ooooo, yeahhh"

[Greydon Clark]

Originally posted by Stu Gotz
T-Dub is Thomas Weisel.

Investment banker extraordinaire. Founded Montgomery Securities, then sold that beyatch to the BofA suckers. Runs merchant bank that bears his name.

I've found most people to be slightly less complimentary, but he must be extraordinarily good at his job to take a piece of shit "company" like Web-Van public. Yeah, he is really, really rich.

Back to the subject at hand, lets hope Lance buys the team. I think it would help cycling in the US.

[Benny Profane]

Originally posted by Greydon Clark


Back to the subject at hand, lets hope Lance buys the team. I think it would help cycling in the US.

Nah. No way. I hope that's not his intent. Americans could give a shit. That's why I'm confused by the Discovery sponsorship. Like the USPS, why advertise over in France?

[Greydon Clark]

I'm an external optimist. L.A.'s appeal is a pretty universal, I'm not predicting cycling will over take hockey as the 4th major sport, but it shouldn't sink to the level of Major League Indoor Lacrosse either. Detroit Turbos represent. (It should be obvious that I've run out of things to say.) Rev, keep us posted, yo.

[ulty_guy]

Originally posted by Benny Profane
Nah. No way. I hope that's not his intent. Americans could give a shit. That's why I'm confused by the Discovery sponsorship. Like the USPS, why advertise over in France?

at the beginning, the cost of usps's sponsorship was almost completely made back through the shipping contracts that they were garaunteed by the lesser sponsors of the bike team. at the time, usps was trying to break into the overnight shipping game from us to europe that was dominated by ups and fed ex. they've succeeded pretty admirably in that dept and now have a decent market share from starting at essentially nil.

[Benny Profane]

So the French are going to be glued to their tubes watching, what is it, Cranky Chopper Making Dad or Insects in My Basement?

And don't try to make USPS sound like a real corporation with that market share jive. If it was in the same league as FedEx, it would have to lay off half it's employees.

[cj001f]

[i]And don't try to make USPS sound like a real corporation with that market share jive. If it was in the same league as FedEx, it would have to lay off half it's employees. [/B]

You mean - if they didn't have union contracts for all the incompetent delivery & retail workers they would laid off have their employees. They certainly wanted to.

[ulty_guy]

the Discovery channel is an educational ploy to teach the french how we came to bail them out over and over again in the 20th century after the couldn't defend themselves.