Festina cycling team

Infobox Cycling team
teamname=Festina


code=FES
base= ESP 1989-1992
AND 1993-1994
FRA 1995-2001
founded=1989
disbanded=2001
manager= Miguel Moreno Cachinero (1989-1993)
Bruno Roussel (1994-1998)
Juan Fernández Martín (1999-2001)
discipline=Road
status=Retired
season=1989
1990-1992
1993-1999
2000-2001
oldname=Lotus-Zahor
Lotus-Festina
Festina-Lotus
Festina
kit

Festina is a former professional cycling team that was active in the professional peloton from 1989 to 2001. The team was sponsored by the watch manufacturers Festina Lotus AV.

Beginnings

The team first appeared as "Lotus-Zahor" but the following year, 1990, the team became "Lotus-Festina". In 1993 the team became "Festina-Lotus" which it was known by until 2000. The team was a Spanish team from 1989 to 1992. Then the team was based in Andorra in 1993 and 1994. In 1995 the team became French from which it would stay until the team retired from the peloton. In 1991 the team signed the Portuguese cyclist Acacio Da Silva who would win the sprints classification in that year’s Vuelta a España. [cite web|url=http://www.lavuelta.com/07/ingles/historia/index.html?a=1991&e=p|title=History Vuelta 1991|publisher=la vuelta .com |accessdate=2007-10-27] The team signed Seán Kelly in 1992 who won Milan-Sanremo, the first Classic victory for the team. [cite web|url=http://www.cyclingwebsite.net/ploegfiche.php?id=8581|title=Lotus-Festina 1992|publisher=the cycling website.net|accessdate=2007-10-27] The team entered its first Tour de France in 1992. The team manager and directeur sportifs at this time included Miguel Moreno Cachinero and Carlos Machin Rodriguez but Bruno Roussel joined the team in 1993 and would lead the team during its most successful years. Richard Virenque joined the team in 1993. [cite web|url=http://www.cyclebase.nl/?lang=nl&news=nl&pc=normal&page=ploeg&db=m&id=LOS&yr=1993|title=Festina-Lotus 1993|publisher=cyclebase.nl|accessdate=2007-10-27] The following year the team challenged Miguel Indurain in the 1994 Tour de France whereby teammates Luc Leblanc and Richard Virenque finished the race 4th and 5th overall and Festina won the team classification. Over the following years, Festina would be present in the Tour de France with Virenque finishing the race 3rd overall in 1996 and second overall in 1997.

Festina Doping Scandal

Virenque was a favourite in the 1998 Tour de France but after team soigneur Willy Voet was caught by France-Belgium border officials with large quantities of doping products in his Festina team car, all members of the 1998 Tour team including the World Champion Laurent Brochard and Christophe Moreau were arrested and seven admitted to taking EPO [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980725/ai_n14163112|title=Tour riders down wheels over drug use|publisher=London independent|accessdate=2007-07-28] and were ejected from the race. [cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1998/07/13/drugs.t.php|title=A hint of doping at Tour de France|publisher=Herald Tribune|accessdate=2007-07-19] Team doctor Eric Rijkaert was also arrested. Rijkaert was team doctor from 1993 to 1998.
Laurent Brochard, Christophe Moreau and Didier Rous confessed and were served a six-month suspension before returning to racing [cite web|url=http://www.humanite.fr/1998-12-15_Sports_CYCLISME-1|title=Dopage 2|publisher=Humanite|accessdate=2007-07-29] whereas Richard Virenque did not confess, releasing a book called "Ma Vérité" where he denied using doping products. However on October 24th, 2000, Virenque finally confessed and was handed a suspension. [cite web|url= http://cyclisme.dopage.free.fr/bibliographie/virenque_sa_verite.htm |title=Richard Virenque - sa vérité!|publisher=Dopage free cyclisme|accessdate=2007-10-27] The team doctor that was at the heart of the scandal, Eric Rijkaert, released a book in 2000 about the affair and discussing doping in the sport called "De Zaak Festina". [ [http://www.wielersportboeken.be/R/rijckaert_eric/rijckaert.htm De Zaak Festina] ]

Post Festina affair

Due to these doping scandals, the team reorganised itself and sponsor Festina set up the "Fondation d’Entreprise Festina" which aimed to promote any actions that prevent doping taking place that are undertaken by institutions or individuals. [cite web|url=http://www.festina.com/intro.htm|title=Sponsorship cycling|accessdate=2007-10-27] After the Festina Affair Juna Fernadez Martin, Yvon Sanquer, Michel Gros, Roberto Torres Toledano, Jacky Lachevere and Gerald Rue directed the team in its final years. The team achieved 3rd and 4th overall in the 2000 Tour de France with Joseba Beloki and Christophe Moreau and won the 2001 Vuelta a España with Angel Casero before retiring from the sport at the end of the 2001 season. The sponsor Festina continued in professional cycling by being the official timekeeper at the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a España and several other stage-races.

Important victories

*Vuelta a España, Sprint Classification 1991, General Classification 2001
*Tour de France, King of the Mountains Classification, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997
*flagiconUCI World road race championship 1994 (Leblanc), 1997 (Brochard)
*ESP National Cyclo-Cross championship 1991
*FRA National Time-Trial championships 2001
*FRA National Cyclo-Cross championship 1995, 1996
*SUI National Road Race championship 1992
*Milan-Sanremo 1992
*Gent-Wevelgem 1996
*Route du Sud 1995
*Étoile de Bessèges 1994, 1997
*Vuelta a Burgos 1995
*Tour de Wallonie 1994
*Trophée des Grimpeurs 1994, 1998
*Tour du Limousin 1996
*Giro del Piemonte 1997
*Coppa Bernocchi 1997
*Tour Méditerranéen 1997
*Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1998
*Tour de Romandie 1998
*GP Ouest-France 1998
*A Travers le Moribhan 1998
*Tour du Poitou-Charentes 1999
*Deutschland Tour 2000
*Tour de Picardie 2001
*Paris-Bourges 2001
*Dauphiné Libéré 2001
*Vuelta Ciclista a Chile 2001

Well known cyclists

*Acacio Da Silva
*Seán Kelly
*Abraham Olano
*Steven Rooks
*Richard Virenque
*Jean-Paul van Poppel
*Thierry Marie
*Pascal Lino
*Luc Leblanc
*Lars Michaelsen
*Laurent Brochard
*Emmanuel Magnien
*Christophe Bassons
*Patrice Halgand
*Christophe Moreau
*Didier Rous
*Anthony Neil Stephens
*Marcel Wüst
*Joseba Beloki
*Angel Casero
*Alex Zulle

References