Slipstream/Chipotle roster announced, a few surprises

Triathlon Forum
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From here: http://slipstreamsports.com/news.press.php?action=detail&pressrelease_id=83

Slipstream Continues Mission to Promote Ethical Sporting and Invites Fans To “Get In The Slipstream” with a Contest to Design the Official 2008 Team Jersey
August 31, 2007 - Boulder, CO - Boulder, CO – August 31, 2006 – Slipstream Sports LLC and its chief venture, the Slipstream/Chipotle Professional Cycling Team, is poised for a big year. The powerhouse, dedicated to promoting ethical sporting and developing the next generation of cycling champions, today unveiled it’s highly-anticipated 2008 team roster, announced that it has signed Chipotle Mexican Grill as a co-title sponsor, and plans for a world-wide competition to design the 2008 team jersey.

The 2008 Team Slipstream/Chipotle roster is comprised of: David Millar, Christophe Laurent, Julian Dean, David Zabriskie , Christian Vande Velde, Magnus Backstedt, Tyler Farrar, Maartijn Maaskant, Tom Danielson, Dan Martin, Chris Sutton, Trent Lowe, Ryder Hesjedal, Danny Pate, Pat McCarty, Will Frischkorn, Jason Donald, Lucas Euser, Tom Peterson, Mike Friedman, Huub Duyn, Kilian Patour, Timmy Duggan and Steven Cozza.

Read the rest of the article at the link.

A very impressive line up, and definitely a TdF contender in my book. Seems like they may have a few “experienced” (ie. worn out) riders in the group, but dang if it isn’t a superstar lineup. I’m excited to see what comes out of the team this year.

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They will have one heck of a TT team!

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A very impressive line up, and definitely a TdF contender in my book.
I don’t think your book will sell much :wink:

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The 2008 Team Slipstream/Chipotle roster is comprised of: David Millar, Christophe Laurent, Julian Dean, David Zabriskie , Christian Vande Velde, Magnus Backstedt, Tyler Farrar, Maartijn Maaskant, Tom Danielson, Dan Martin, Chris Sutton, Trent Lowe, Ryder Hesjedal, Danny Pate, Pat McCarty, Will Frischkorn, Jason Donald, Lucas Euser, Tom Peterson, Mike Friedman, Huub Duyn, Kilian Patour, Timmy Duggan and Steven Cozza.

Whither the Huffmeister? (This might bode well for US track cycling.)

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"…a Contest to Design the Official 2008 Team Jersey "

New design - thank god.

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That was my thought…although track cycling and ethics haven’t been used in the same sentence for about 20 years.

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But in the forward I openly will place a teaser promising that somewhere in the book I have included the text of phonecalls with proof of PED use, sexual abuse, political payoffs, and of course legitimate data proving that dimples have no effect on aerodynamics. this information combined with the charts showing actual scientific data proving that global warming i real, but is not a result of human consumption or burning of fossil fuels should put my book on the bestseller list.

Oh, and coach says that Tommy D should absolutely be able to win a stage. I’m going to say that Slipstream, if they can compete will compete for stage wins, and not even dream about GC. Between Tommy D winning a climbing stage (this is before he drops out due to stomach trouble, or some other ailment that WILL hit him), the what, 3? strong TT’ers, and a little luck, 4 stage wins wouldn’t surprise me at all. And I’m remaining hopefully optimistic about some domestic boys getting a chance to race the big show.

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That was my thought…although track cycling and ethics haven’t been used in the same sentence for about 20 years.
I’m not sure I follow…I was merely speculating that Huff might now choose to focus even more on the track.

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That was my thought…although track cycling and ethics haven’t been used in the same sentence for about 20 years.
I’m not sure I follow…I was merely speculating that Huff might now choose to focus even more on the track.
Slipstream is a team built around (if you believe the press) total transparency - blood profiling over the course of the year, etc. It is a team with ethics. So I think that is what the OP was referring to. So perhaps a rider who wants to focus on the track might feel that he can’t be on a team that races clean.

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With this new design challenge, they had better stick with the Argyle. Them’s man colors fer sure! Maybe they could dump the baby blue - E

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new design must incorporate blue and orange argyle
.

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I vote for tin foil jerseys.

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You have to think their timing is perfect. Now that Disco is gone they can be the main focus in the US as an up and coming (hopefully) ProTour team. With their strong non doping stance and combination of veteran and young riders I think they will do very well. They seem to have some exciting riders who rode pretty aggresively at the ToC this year. Cozza’s name is still painted over some of the roads in Marin and Sonoma County where the race came through.

It is almost enough to get me to start wearing argyle…is that how you spell that?

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That was my thought…although track cycling and ethics haven’t been used in the same sentence for about 20 years.
I’m not sure I follow…I was merely speculating that Huff might now choose to focus even more on the track.
Slipstream is a team built around (if you believe the press) total transparency - blood profiling over the course of the year, etc. It is a team with ethics. So I think that is what the OP was referring to. So perhaps a rider who wants to focus on the track might feel that he can’t be on a team that races clean.

Uh…

I guess I can see your point, except that 1) drug use doesn’t seem to be any more prevelant in track cycling than road cycling, and 2) Brad Huff* is the last guy I’d ever expect to not be willing to be on a team that “races clean”.

*Once upon a time, I loaned him my track SRM to use. He returned it after just a couple of months, though, because he wasn’t comfortable with the thought of someone else’s expensive piece of equipment being locked in his unoccupied apartment for a few months.

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A very impressive line up, and definitely a TdF contender in my book.

They won’t even finish a rider in the top 20

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Which guy from that list is their GC guy?

I don’t see one that can contend.

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Welll there’s a lot more to le Tour than the GC…

BarloWorld had a great Tour this year with no GC contender… If they could pull off something similar to that it would be huge!

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Great to see Ryder Hesjedal on a strong team, he has some good potential, especially in TT - needs a team behnd him. He had some goo success with Phonak, then Landis’s doping issues ruined his euro career!

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Not sure, but it sounds like you are implying that Brad may not want to be a part of Slipstream because he is somehow involved or related with the use of PEDs. Having worked with Brad in 2004 during a time in which he was injured and unable to ride for about 6 months I can unequivocally (sp?) say that his views are very much in line with those of Slipstream. Brad is one of the most moral and upstanding guys I know. I now only speak with him a few times a year, but I can tell you that he is just as much against doping as most of us here on this forum. Hearing the story from Andrew about the SRM does not suprise me one bit, that is the kind of person Brad is. To bring up a question like that without knowing an individual is a bit questionable from my perspective (especially when he has never been remotely connected to anything of that nature, and has been paying his dues for the last several years to get where he is now)

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They have to get in the Tour 1st, and there is certainly no guarantee of that.