I just read that Ivan Basso, formerly of Team CSC, has signed a two year contract with the Discovery Channel team. What does this mean for Basso? Provided he can stay healthy, he is without a doubt the favorite for the 2007 Tour de France. He was the favorite of many (including myself) going into this years Tour de France before he was not allowed to start. With the kind of support that Discovery can provide, he is now even closer to winning his first Tour de France. This is HUGE for Team Discovery which struggled in the first year since the retirement of Lance Armstrong.