Is it known who will pick up sponsorship for Team Discovery next year?
Early in the season Starbucks/Nike was looking to place a bid for Discovery Channel, but after the news about Ivan Basso being suspended for two years, they dropped out. Its uncertain whether Discovery will find a sponsor at all given the concerns about doping on the team. Few corporate sponsors want to risk a scandal. Why fear about Discovery? Well, team director Brunyeel went out of its way to hire Ivan Basso and multiple other riders who were linked to Operation Puerto (the drug scandal that knocked Basso and Ulrich out of last years tour), even violating the agreement among the ProTour teams not to hire riders who had been implicated. As for Contador, numerous people, including Tom Boonen and Greg Lemond, have publicly suggested that Contador is likely a doper. Lemond said that he suspected Contador since Contador was the only person who could keep up with Rassmussen. Contador himself was initially linked to Operations Puerto. Boonen was more vague, saying before the time trial tha
