HTC–Highroad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
HTC–Highroad

Team information
UCI code	THR
Registered	USA
Founded	1989 (1989)
Disbanded	2011 (2011)
Discipline(s)	Road
Status	UCI ProTeam
Bicycles	Specialized
Key personnel
General manager	Bob Stapleton
Team name history
1989 1990 1991–2003 2004–2007 2007–2008 2008 2009 2010 2011	Stuttgart-Merckx-Gonsor Stuttgart-Mercedes-Merckx-Puma Team Telekom T-Mobile Team Team High Road Team Columbia Team Columbia–High Road Team Columbia–HTC Team HTC–Columbia HTC–Highroad
Jersey

HTC–Highroad was a famous professional cycling team. They competed in big international road bicycle races. Their last main sponsor was HTC, a company that makes smartphones.

The team stopped racing at the end of 2011. This happened because they could not find a new sponsor. The team was managed by a company called High Road Sports, led by Bob Stapleton. Before HTC, other big sponsors included Columbia Sportswear and Deutsche Telekom.

The team first started in 1991 as Team Telekom. It was sponsored by Deutsche Telekom. In 2004, its name changed to the T-Mobile Team. Bob Stapleton and Rolf Aldag were important managers for the team.

History of the Cycling Team

Early Years: 1988-1991

In late 1988, a former World Champion named Hennie Kuiper created a German cycling team. The city of Stuttgart sponsored this team. They rode bikes made by Eddy Merckx Cycles.

For the 1989 season, the team was called Stuttgart-Merckx-Gonsor. It had nine riders, including Udo Bölts. At that time, there were no other German cycling teams.

The team quickly found success. Rider Dariusc Kajzer won the National Road Race Championships in Germany. In 1990, the team became Stuttgart-Mercedes-Merckx-Puma. Udo Bölts continued their winning streak by becoming Germany's road race champion.

Team Telekom: 1991-2004

In 1991, Deutsche Telekom became the main sponsor. The team was then known as Telekom-Mercedes-Merckx-Puma. Udo Bölts had a great performance at the 1991 Vuelta a España. This helped convince Telekom to take over the team's management.

The team signed new riders, like Marc Madiot, a specialist in classic races. Bölts stayed with the team until 2003. He won a tough stage in the 1992 Giro d'Italia. Jens Heppner also finished tenth overall at the 1992 Tour de France.

Telekom's Rise to Fame

Team Telekom signed many promising German cyclists. These included Jens Heppner and Christian Henn in 1992. Later, Erik Zabel, Rolf Aldag, and Steffen Wesemann joined in 1993. Jan Ullrich joined in 1994. Many of these riders stayed with the team for over ten years.

In 1994, Erik Zabel won the Paris–Tours race. This was the team's first big win in the UCI Road World Cup. The team also dominated the German national championship road race for 11 years. Many Telekom riders became German champions during this time.

The team became very important in international cycling. In 1995, six Telekom riders joined another team to race the 1995 Tour de France. Erik Zabel won two stages in that race.

1997 Tour: Jan Ullrich in the leader's jersey, with Udo Bölts riding in support.

The next two years were a huge breakthrough for the team. They signed Bjarne Riis from Denmark. He won the 1996 Tour de France. A young German rider, Jan Ullrich, finished second. Erik Zabel also won the green jersey for the points competition, which he would win six times.

In the 1997 Tour de France, Jan Ullrich won the race. Riis helped him, and had won the Amstel Gold Race earlier that year. Team Telekom also won the award for the strongest team overall. Erik Zabel won the Milan–San Remo race for the first of four times.

Ullrich finished second in the 1998 Tour de France. He then won the 1999 Vuelta a España. He also became the World time trial champion twice, in 1999 and 2001. In 2000, Zabel won the overall World Cup. Ullrich finished second in the 2000 Tour de France. He also won a gold medal at the Olympics.

In 2001, Zabel won Milan–San Remo for the fourth time. Ullrich was second in the 2001 Tour de France. Alexander Vinokourov from Kazakhstan won the Paris–Nice race in 2002 and 2003. He also won the Amstel Gold Race and Tour de Suisse in 2003.

When Ullrich left the team in 2003, Vinokourov became the team leader. He finished third in the 2003 Tour de France. Zabel won the 2003 Paris–Tours. The team continued to sign many talented riders from Germany and other countries.

In 2005, a film called Hell on Wheels was released. It showed the 2003 Tour de France from the perspective of Team Telekom.

T-Mobile Team: 2004-2007

T-Mobile-Team, 2004 Tour de France

In 2004, the team changed its name to T-Mobile. Jan Ullrich returned to the team. They had many successes, including Steffan Wesemann's win in the Tour of Flanders.

For the 2004 Tour de France, Andreas Klöden became German road race champion. Ullrich won the Tour de Suisse. Klöden finished second in the Tour de France, and Ullrich was fourth. T-Mobile Team won the award for the strongest team overall.

In 2005, Vinokourov won the Liège–Bastogne–Liège race. Ullrich finished third overall in the 2005 Tour de France. Vinokourov won two stages, including the final stage on the Champs-Élysées. T-Mobile Team won the team classification again. Erik Zabel won the Paris–Tours for the third time.

After the 2005 Tour, Vinokourov left the team to become a team captain elsewhere. Erik Zabel also left after 13 years with the team. Before the 2006 season, Olaf Ludwig became the new T-Mobile team manager.

Challenges and Changes

In 2006, the team faced some big challenges. Some riders, including Jan Ullrich, were not allowed to compete in the 2006 Tour de France. Another T-Mobile rider, Oscar Sevilla, was also removed. The team started the Tour with fewer riders.

The team's director, Rudy Pevenage, was dismissed due to issues related to fair play. On July 21, 2006, T-Mobile removed Jan Ullrich from the team during an investigation.

Serhiy Honchar riding the Prologue at the 2006 Tour de France

Despite these difficulties, T-Mobile won the team classification at the 2006 Tour de France for the third year in a row. Andreas Klöden finished third. Matthias Kessler won a stage, and Serhiy Honchar won two time trials.

After the Tour, the team changed a lot. Olaf Ludwig left, and Bob Stapleton became the new manager. Many long-time riders also left the team.

For the 2007 Tour de France, the team brought a young group of riders. They wanted to show a fresh, clean image. However, a team member, Patrik Sinkewitz, faced issues with team rules and was suspended.

Team High Road: November 2007 – June 2008

In November 2007, Deutsche Telekom announced they would stop sponsoring the team. The team continued under the name "Team High Road" until June 2008. In February 2008, the team's nationality changed from Germany to the United States.

The team kept going thanks to funding from its owner, Bob Stapleton. They had a great start to the year. Kim Kirchen from Luxembourg won the classic La Flèche Wallonne race. These good results helped the team find a new sponsor.

Team Columbia and HTC: 2008-2011

On June 15, 2008, Columbia Sportswear announced they would sponsor the team for three years. The team's name changed to "Team Columbia" starting with the 2008 Tour de France. This sponsorship included both the men's and women's teams.

Big Wins and New Sponsors

The team had a very successful Tour de France in 2008. They won 5 stages, with Mark Cavendish winning four of them. Team leader Kim Kirchen wore the yellow jersey for four days.

George Hincapie and Mark Cavendish in the green jersey during Stage 3 of the 2009 Tour de France

On June 29, 2009, HTC became a sponsor for three years. The team's new name was "Team Columbia-HTC." This sponsorship also included both the men's and women's teams.

The team had huge success at the 2009 Tour de France. Mark Cavendish won 6 stages. His victory on the Champs-Élysées in Paris was especially memorable. He won by a very large distance. A documentary film called Chasing Legends was made about the 2009 Tour through the eyes of HTC-Columbia.

August 2009 was a great month for Edvald Boasson Hagen. He won stages and the overall race in the Tour of Poland and Eneco Tour. The team also won a stage in the 2009 Vuelta a España with Gregory Henderson.

Even with many wins, Team Columbia could not keep all its top riders. Many riders left for other teams in 2010. New, young talented riders joined the team as replacements.

In October 2010, Team Columbia HTC announced a partnership with Specialized for 2011. Specialized provided the team's bikes and helmets.

On August 4, 2011, General Manager Bob Stapleton announced that Team HTC–Highroad would close. This was because they could not find a new sponsor for the 2011 season.

The team's last race was the Chrono des Nations in October 2011. Both the men's and women's teams won their final events. Tony Martin won the men's time trial, and Amber Neben won the women's event. This brought the team's total wins for its final year to 121.

HTC–Highroad was named "Team of the Year" by Cyclingnews.com in 2011. They also won "Best Team" and "Best Women's Team" awards from Velonews.

Major Wins

National, Continental, World, and Olympic Champions

Riders

See also

In Spanish: HTC-Highroad para niños