Our Very Own Cycling Team

Team Slipstream has been one of the best U.S. continental teams for a number of years and got a ProTour license for the first time this year. So they've been competing in the big races in Europe all season. And now they have a brand new sponsor: KC-area-based Garmin. So, local readers, we now have a home town team to root for during this year's tour.

What is more important to the sponsor is image, and having riders with character, intelligence and a sense of humour was something that Vaughters valued from the team's beginnings.

"We went about creating a team which had a specific feel to it with the riders we chose. We had multiple opportunities along the way to choose a rider who could win more races versus a rider who would fit in our culture. We wanted a team that was very American - we're more than half US riders and 90% native English speakers.

"We chose people with a good sense of humour and intelligent, articulate athletes with a lot of personality. If you start with a core group of riders like that, then you have to have the rest of the team on the same page as far as interests - otherwise it just wouldn't work out."