Bianchi cycling team

Infobox Cycling team
teamname=Bianchi

code=TBI
base= ITA
founded=1899
disbanded=
manager=Jacques Hanegraaf (2003)
techdirector=
ds1 =Giovanni Tragella (1953-1954)
ds2 =Franco Aguggini] (1956-1959)
ds3 =Vittorio Adorni (1973)
ds4 =Giancarlo Ferretti (1974-1984)
ds5 =| discipline=Road
status=Retired
season =1914
1921
1949-1950
1951-1959
1965-1966
1973-1977
1978-1979
1980-1984
1993
oldname =Bianchi-Dei
Bianchi-Dunlop
Bianchi-Ursus
Bianchi-Pirelli
Bianchi-Mobylette
Bianchi-Campagnolo
Bianchi-Faema
Bianchi-Piaggio
Bianchi-Freetime

Bianchi was an Italian professional cycling team that was sponsored by and cycled on Bianchi racing bikes. A Bianchi cycling team existed in 1899 which implies that Bianchi was sponsoring professional cycling at a very early stage in the sport. It appears that the team existed from 1899 to 1900, then from 1905 to 1966, then from 1973 until 1984. It existed again in 1993 and for the last time in 2003. In addition Bianchi has been a co-sponsor of many cycling teams.

History

In 1899 Giovanni Tommaselli won the first international cycling victory for Bianchi at the world championship of track racing: "the Grand Prix of Paris". [cite web|url= http://www.bianchiusa.com/489.html|title=Bianchi 1891-1899|publisher=Bianchi USA|accessdate=2007-11-05] During the existence of the Bianchi team in Italy in 1919-1920, Bianchi was also a co-sponsor of a French team that was called Peugeot - Bianchi - Pirelli which according to a historical cycling website, the team rode on Peugeot bikes. [cite web|url= http://www.cyclingwebsite.net/ploegfiche.php?id=670 |title=Peugeot-Bianchi-Pirelli 1919|publisher=de wielersite|accessdate=2007-11-05] It is possible that this team rode on Bianchi bikes in Italy.

The team had many famous cyclists on the team over the course of its existence. In 1945, Fausto Coppi joined the team and would stay with the team until 1956 and 1958. It has been said that the team of the mid 1940's was built around Coppi. [cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/1998/aug98/aug3.shtml|title=News Aug 3 1998, Interview with Felice Gimondi|publisher=Cyclingnews.com|accessdate=2007-12-16] During this time the Tour de France was disputed by national teams and Coppi won the Tour in 1949 and 1952. Coppi won the Giro d'Italia for the team in 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953. Coppi became the first cyclist in history to achieve the Giro-Tour double. For which it was suggested at the time that he was the greatest cyclist ever seen. [cite paper|title=Coppi le plus grand routier de tous les temps?|publisher=L'équipe|date=Tuesday July 26th 1949|id=page 1] During this time, the directeur sportifs were Giovanni Tragella and Franco Aguggini. In the seventies, Bianchi returned as main sponsor to the peloton in the Bianchi-Campagnolo team that contained the 1972 and 1973 world champions Marino Basso and Felice Gimondi. This team was the continuation of the Salvarani team that Gimondi had started his career with and which, in 1972, was directed by 1965 Giro d'Italia champion and 1968 World Champion Vittorio Adorni who had retired from professional racing just two years previously. Adorni directed the Bianchi-Campagnolo team with Giancarlo Ferretti in 1973. Ferretti took over as the main directeur sportif of the team the following year. This team also included the four time winner of the Vuelta a Colombia Martin Emilio Rodriguez who won stages in the Giro d'Italia.

Finally Team Bianchi was main sponsor when German Jan Ullrich challenged American Lance Armstrong in the Centenary edition of the Tour de France. This team is dealt with in more detail in another page.

After the cycling season of 2003 ended, Bianchi became co-sponsor of the Alessio-Bianchi team and again they were a co-sponsor of the Liquigas-Bianchi team for the 2005 season. In 2005 Bianchi also became the co-sponsor of the Norwegian cycling team Team Maxbo Bianchi, a continental cycling team, with whom they are still (2007) a co-sponsor.

Bianchi became involved in sponsorship in Mountain biking in the early nineties. Bruno Zanchi won the first World Championship for Bianchi in 1991 in the downhill speciality. Two years later, Dario Acquaroli became World Champion in cross country for Bianchi. [cite web|url= http://www.bianchi.it/en/corporate/corporate_Legend_1970.aspx|title=Legend|publisher=Bianchi.it|accessdate=2007-11-05] From 2000 to 2006, the Bianchi MTB (Bianchi-Motorex and Bianchi-Agos) team dominated the sport with José Antonio Hermida and multiple World Champion Julien Absalon. [cite web|url=http://www.bianchi.it/en/corporate/corporate_Legend_1995.aspx|title=Legend|publisher=Bianchi.it|accessdate=2007-11-05] In 2007 the team was renamed Gewiss-Bianchi. [cite web|url=http://www.bianchi.it/it/team/teamMTBIntro.aspx|title=Official Team Gewiss-Bianchi|publisher=Bianchi.it|accessdate=2007-11-05]

Famous riders

*Cesare Brambilla
*Carlo Galetti
*Gaetano Belloni
*Costante Girardengo
*Ugo Agostoni
*Giuseppe Olmo
*Alfredo Bovet
*André Darrigade
*Aldo Bini
*Fausto Coppi
*Serse Coppi
*Loretto Petrucci
*Raphaël Geminiani
*Felice Gimondi
*Johan De Muynck
*Silvano Contini
*Martín Emilio "Cochise" Rodríguez

Important Road victories

*Giro d'Italia General Classification 1911, 1920, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1976, 1979
*Tour de France General Classification 1949, 1952, Points Classification 1975
*Vuelta a España General Classification 1956 Mountains Classification 1956
*flagiconUCI World Road Race Championships 1953, 1973
*ITA Road Race Championship 1908, 1909, 1911, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1955, 1958, 1959
*BEL Road Race Championship 1921
*FRA Road Race Championship 1953
*Giro di Lombardia 1906, 1914, 1918, 1922, 1930, 1937, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1973
*Milan-Sanremo 1914, 1917, 1918, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1973
*GP des Nations 1946, 1947
*Paris-Roubaix 1949, 1950
*Paris-Tours 1953
*Liège-Bastogne-Liège 1982
*Omloop Het Volk 1983

References

ee also

Bianchi cycling team of 2003