Rivarly Good for U.S. Cycling

For years the American presence on the international cycling scene was limited to one team. First there was 7-Eleven, later known as Motorola, a creation of Jim Ochowicz. Then after beating cancer Lance Armstrong joined the U.S. Postal team which would later become known as Discovery and dominated the American cycling enthusiast’s attention. With the departure of Lance Armstrong and then the structure of his former team in 2007, Team Slipstream run by Jonathan Vaughters rose quickly to fill the void in American cycling. The team featured both American and British riders such as Christian Vande Velde and David Miller capturing the attention of fans from both nations.
With their aw shucks underdog role in the Tour that summer they garnered the respect of the cycling community as a whole not only for their stance on clean racing, but the immergence of Christian as a legit GC rider. Garmin Slipstream was not the only U.S. licensed team that summer though. T-Mobile the former German licensed team featuring American George Hincapie changed hands receiving a U.S. license and followed Vaughter’s principle of clean racing going by the name Highroad before attracting Columbia Sportswear as a sponsor.

This year in the Tour de France the number of U.S. licensed teams doubled to four teams with Lance Armstrong’s Radio Shack team and George Hincapie and the return of Jim Ochowicz with BMC. The result of four teams with U.S. connections has not only highlighted the increased interest in cycling, but has provided American fans with a choice. Instead of simply routing for THE U.S. licensed team, American fans can choose a team that befits their personality or regional interests. A cycling fan from California might choose to follow Levi Leipheimer on Team RadioShack or George Hincapie’s BMC team if they are from the Carolinas. The most entertaining result from having four teams with a U.S. license are the rivalries which have already developed.  Garmin and Team RadioShack fans are already talking smack with their feet set squarely on their team’s side. Multiple teams and multiple rivalries can only serve to spark more interest in cycling whether it is an aspiring young athlete, enthusiastic fans, or more corporate sponsors helping to financially support the presence of American teams. So let the rivalries and smack talk flourish. It’s good for American cycling!

By Vince Hovis, staff writer