Dismantling Discovery......Literally

Last week I went to Belgium, where the Team has it's European headquarters, to wrap up the season.  It was an interesting visit.  Over the last year, I have become friends with many of the staff of the team and I was sad to see them for what could be the last time, after all Belgium and Wisconsin are a world apart.  After I covered all my bases for business I still had some time so I decided to hang out with some of the guys and help them peel the decals off of the cars.  If you have ever had to do this you will understand how awful it could be, especially since it was cold outside and they had 15 cars to do.  Interestingly enough, heat gun in hand, I had a great time.  The guys were really upbeat and they all pitched in to help out.  Some of the guys were reminiscing, some joking, and some vowing to return......

A Better View

Here is a little better look at Levi's new Trek Madone painted up special in honor of his recent win at the US Pro National Championships.

Bada Bing!

Discovery does it again today.  Levi on the top step for the day and George for the race.

George put a pretty good hold on his lead, there are still 3 days of racing but things are looking good.

Levi gets to add another stage win to add to his list of accomplishments for 2007, not a bad year....

By the way, you can see John Devine warming up behind Levi in the picture above.  I caught up with him for a minute after his first race on a Trek TTX.  He said that it was easily 5% faster than his previous TT bike, saying that he was going quite a bit faster today with less effort.  There were a couple of "sweets" and "awsomes" thrown around as we talked about what he likes about his new TTX.  The TTX gets another win and another rave review.  Missouri a nice place for Trek this week......

Trading Stripes for Stripes

Unfortunately I arrived in Missouri too late today to see George win the stage and take the lead.  I did however get to have a quick chat with him in the hotel lobby.  George mentioned that his last race of the year, possibly his last race on a Trek bicycle, will be at the World Championships.  He is using the race here in Missouri to help tune his form and hopefully trade the Stars and Stripes for the Rainbow Stripes.
Next year you might see George in another color of stripes......

Stars and Stripes

I arrived at Trek this morning at quarter to seven and this was the state of the new Stars and Stripes bike for Levi.  The boys at Trek really out did themselves on this one, from designer to race ready in 3 days is a huge feat.  This is a standard Black Series Madone pulled right off of the production line that was specially painted for Levi.

The mechanics hate  it when I show up with a box; they always know it means more work for them....  Actually Chris happily built the bike as he joked about how much work I make for him. 

As night began to fall the final touches were being put on Levi's new racing stead.  This bike will likely only be raced for three days but it is our way of saying congratulations to Levi and the Team.  Look out for more pictures on the web as this new National Champ paint scheme is likely to turn some heads..

A New Bike

Don't tell Levi but I am on my way to Missouri with a new bike for him.  I am sitting in the Madison airport some 6 hours from arriving at the Tour of Missouri.  I have with me a one of a kind Trek Madone specially made for Levi.  There are not that many people that get to say they have a one of a kind anything in this day and age......Stay tuned to see what it looks like and how it goes over.
Sent via my Blackberry

Bidding Adieu

Tuesday the 11th of September marks the start of the 3rd biggest road race in the United States.  The Tour of Missouri starts in Kansas City and wanders over to St. Louis in a 6 stage race that will likely be decided during the Individual Time Trial on Thursday.  The Tour of Missouri is one of the last races that the Discovery Channel will ever participate in.  I will be stopping in to visit the Team on Wednesday and staying for the duration of the race.  I haven't seen the guys since the Tour and I am anxious to catch up with them; this will likely be the last time that I will ever see most of them in the same place.  Some guys have already signed contracts with other teams but most are still looking.  I am sure that there will be a ton to talk about.  Stay tuned to hear the latest from the ground floor.....

Photo Tour of the Tour

Check out these links to some of my photos from the Tour.  They are all RSS feeds so they might not work in Internet Explorer, if they don't try Foxfire.  I hope you like them.......

photocast.mac.com/coatesb/iPhoto/yellow/index.rss

photocast.mac.com/coatesb/iPhoto/equipment/index.rss

photocast.mac.com/coatesb/iPhoto/mechanics-at-work/index.rss

photocast.mac.com/coatesb/iPhoto/scenic-shots-of-the-tours-surroundings/index.rss

Post Traumatic Stress

Post Traumatic Stress, I am finally over it!  The last couple of weeks have been a little bit of a roller coaster since the news from the team that they will not continue beyond 2007.   I tried to take the news in stride but to honest it really got me down.  I am very proud to be a part of the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team and I am sad to see them go.  After a couple of weeks of moping around Trek trying to figure out what is next, I have decided to make the best of it.  We have all been very lucky to have Tail Wind Sports (management company of the Postal/Discovery Team) around for as long as they have been.  Along with Lance, they helped put cycling back on the map in the US.  I am eternally grateful for all they have done for me and the sport of cycling.  Just because they are going to be gone, they will not be forgotten.    

There is still a lot to look forward to.  I was reading this morning about the Veulta, it is going to be a great race.  The Discovery Team is stacked and the race is wide open.  Not to mention the overall Pro Tour standings; CSC, Caisse d'Epargne and Discovery are all pretty close in the team points and there are only 6 Pro Tour races left.   I will be going out to the Tour of Missouri next month and I am very excited to see the Team off. 

Winning the Tour

It is difficult to explain all that has happened since my last post.  If you have been keeping up with cycling then you already understand.  If you haven't then you are tuning in at the right time.  Hopefully most of the tumultuous times are behind us and we will get to celebrate our Tour win for the whole year to come. 

The Team rode a fantastic Tour.  They stuck together and did what they needed to do.  The race was a wild ride but in the end Contador and the Discovery Team earned their victory. 

I had the pleasure of riding in one of the team cars for the parade and it was fantastic.  The Champs Elysees was packed with people all waiting to see the team go by.   

I also had the honor of delivering a Yellow bike to Contador the night before the final day.  It was a huge honor to bestow a gift to the Tour winner.  Here it is standing alone as the Tour wraps up.  Check back in for more photos detailing my trip....