Originally Posted by
Giacomo 1
They did when Lemond and Armstrong were over there WINNING. They were excited when Team 7/11, Team Postal and Discovery were competitive and looked like Sky does today. There were more American flags than French flags on the side of the road in the TDF back then as well.
Americans love a winner and will not continue to watch when smaller nations, or tiny ones even, continue to kick our butts and produce winners while we play domestique to them and go pretty much unseen somewhere deep in the peloton. We need a standout personality, a bigger than life-type that will catch our imaginations again and be competitive. Win and they will come back.
And if Rapha cares more about the Cat 6 rider, they have no place being in the pro circuit. We need an American team that thinks big, employs American riders, that replicates Team 7/11 and wants to win, not create a pro team to compete with amateurs or be another quasi American team like BMC.
Which is the problem. No one stays a winner forever. See it with the local NCAA handegg team--dumping tens of millions of USD into trying to re-ignite the glory days of handegg winning
#1 from 20 years ago, with private donors forking over the millions of cash (overnight) to pay coach's severance 3 times now....spoiler alert...it hasn't happened, and likely won't. Meanwhile fans are still fans in spite of...well....as of now an 0-5 season including losses to teams never lost to before, probably would have been 0-6 were it not for a game cancelled due to weather.
What sponsors in America would back a road team...given that no sponsors ever have come out ahead economically from title sponsorship? Even road cyclists barely watch road racing. And road racing, in general in the US, is on the out....which is in part a USACycling problem...meanwhile gravel racing is ascendent in the extreme here.