Phonak (cycling)
| UCI code | PHO |
|---|---|
| Registered | Switzerland |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Disbanded | 2006 |
| Discipline | Road |
| Status | ProTour |
| General manager | Andy Rihs |
| 2002–2006 | Phonak |
Phonak (UCI Team Code: PHO) was a Swiss professional cycling team from 2000 until 2006. The team was one of 20 teams in the first UCI ProTour in 2005. It won one race - Santiago Botero's victory in the Tour de Romandie - and came second in the team ranking on the 2005 ProTour circuit.
A sponsor, iShares (subsidiary of Barclays Global Investors) signed a three-year contract in June 2006 to become the team's title sponsor from 2007. The team's name was to be iShares. Andy Rihs, owner of Phonak Hearing Systems, said on 15 August 2006 that the deal had been called off after the team's leader, Floyd Landis, tested positive for high levels of testosterone, and that the team would disband at the end of 2006.
During 2004 Phonak concentrated on supporting Tyler Hamilton in the Tour de France. He crashed and withdrew and was later suspended for blood doping. Hamilton was not the last rider removed for doping, leading Phonak to stop sponsorship after 2006.
The riders accused of doping in 2004 were Hamilton, Santiago Pérez,Oscar Camenzind, Fabrizio Guidi (who was cleared) and Sascha Urweider.
On 5 August 2006 Phonak dismissed Floyd Landis after confirmation that a urine sample taken after his Stage 17 win twice tested positive for synthetic testosterone as well as a ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone nearly three times the limit allowed by World Anti-Doping Agency rules. His 2006 Tour de France win was disallowed by the Union Cycliste Internationale on September 20, 2007.
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