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STAGE 18: TEAM OF THE DAY: CSC-SAXO BANK
June 25, 2008
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Team CSC-Saxo Bank
Registered Nation: Denmark
Bicycles: Cervelo
Components: Shimano
Key Riders: Carlos Sastre, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck, Fabian Cancellara
Title Sponsors: Computer Science Company (CSC), is a global IT services company with HQ in California.
Saxo Bank is a Danish internet bank
Under the name Team Home-Jack & Jones, with main sponsors Danish real estate agency (home a/s)
and clothes manufacturer Jack & Jones, the team came together for the 1998 season with Alex Pedersen and Torben Kelbek as sports directors as a mix of neo-time pros and seasoned veterans Brian Holm and Jesper Skibby. Team Home-Jack & Jones rode its first season in Division 2 with Skibby picking up some wins.
In 1999 the team moved up to Division 1, while Home stopped sponsoring at the end of the 1999, citing doping in cycling as the reason.
For 2000, Memory Card a/s stepped in as co-sponsor and Bo Hamburger was hired as team leader
as the first year the team was invited to the Tour de France. At the end of that season, Bjarne Riis took
the team and after the 2000 season, the contract with Jack & Jones ended, and Bjarne Riis severed ties
with Memory Card due to their financial situation. In 2001 CSC Computer Sciences Corporation and
internet provider World Online took over as title sponsors. World Online had just been bought by Italian telecom giant Tiscali and so the team changed to CSC-Tiscali mid-2001.
CSC-Tiscali signed Laurent Jalabert before the 2001 season and it was a breakthrough season with
Jaja's King of the Mountains win at the Tour. In 2002 Tyler Hamilton left U.S. Postal Service and went on to finish second in the Giro d'Italia despite cracked shoulder blade. CSC-Tiscali proved itself in the Tour de France, almost winning the team time trial, and Jalabert repeating as King of the Mountains. Jalabert retired in style at the end of 2002 by winning the Klassica San Sebastian.
In 2003,Tiscali ended its sponsorship, and was renamed Team CSC. Tyler Hamilton assumed leadership team and won Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Going into the 2003 Tour Hamilton was considered a favorite but he crashed in a mass pileup on Stage One and suffered a cracked collarbone. Despite his injuries Hamilton continued, won Stage Sixteen to Bayonne and finished fourth overall. His CSC teammates Carlos Sastre and Jakob Storm Piil also won stages in the 2003 Tour.
In 2004 Hamilton left CSC and to replace him, the team hired Ivan Basso from the Fassa Bortolo squad
as team leader for the Grand Tours. Basso had won the Best Young Rider in the 2002 Tour de France and in 2004, Basso then finished third in the Tour de France.
In 2005 CSC announced it was extending sponsorship through 2008, allowing Riis to renew his contract with Basso for three more years. Basso's runner-up spot in the '05 Tour behind Lance Armstrong renewed the faith that Riis had in Basso, while young American David Zabriskie emerged as one of the best time trial riders in the world as he won a time trial stage in the Giro d’Italia and the prologue of the Tour de France, beating Lance Armstrong for the Maillot Jaune.
In 2006 CSC ambitiously set out to win all three grand tours with team leaders Ivan Basso and Carlos Sastre. Ivan Basso first won the Giro d’Italia in dominating fashion and was favorite to win the Tour De France, but on the eve of the Tour, Basso was implicated in Operacion Puerto and was not allowed to start the French Grand Tour. Despite the loss of Basso CSC won two stages, including Frank Schleck's win on Alpe d’Huez, while Team CSC released Ivan Basso after the Tour de France.
2007 the team shifted its focus from grand tours to getting results throughout the season. Stuart O'Grady won then Paris-Roubaix, youngster Andy Schleck rode to second place in the Giro d'Italia and Jens Voigt defended his Tour of Germany title. CSC had a very successful Tour de France with Fabian Cancellara winning the Prologue in London and a majestic Stage Three win, wearing the Maillot Jaune for a week.
CSC's Carlos Sastre was consistent throughout to finish fourth overall. For 2008 the team has taken a similar approach and is relying on Fabian Cancellara, Frank Schleck, Andy Schleck and Carlos Sastre to perform well individually.
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