Road Cycling Teams
Team members have different specializations. Climbing specialists grind away on hard inclines; sprinters save their energy for sprints for points and position; time trialists keep speed high over great distances; and domestiques guard the team from rivals and carry food and drink to their leaders.
The leaders of teams are called captains, the rest supporting the captain. The team helps the captain but may be allowed to try to win. The captains have the most media exposure and best chance of winning.
In one day races, one or several leaders are chosen according to demands of the race. In stage races, teams focus on different goals. For example, during the 2005 Tour de France teams such as Discovery Channel or T-Mobile focused on the general classification while other teams tried to win stages or one of the other classifications. In the 2004 Tour de France, Quick Step-Davitamon helped Richard Virenque win the polka dot jersey while Lotto-Domo helped Robbie McEwen win the green jersey. Smaller teams may simply get riders into a long breakaway to get coverage on television. Most professional teams have 10-20 riders.
Teams are generally sponsored in exchange for advertising on clothing and other endorsements. Sponsorship ranges from small businesses to international companies.
The Tour de France between 1930 and the late 1950s was for national teams which carried no prominent commercial advertising.
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