Castorama (cycling team)
1989-1991 Raleigh 1991-1995 Cycles Guimard
Castorama (formerly Systeme U ) is a former French professional cycling team. It was from 1986 to 1995, was until 1989 then sponsored by the French supermarket chain and of the DIY chain Castorama.
Organization
The team emerged from the former by Cyrille Guimard led cyclist since 1976 Team Gitane - Campagnolo, 1978 that the Renault team was after the automaker Renault Gitane bought up the wheel manufacturer and the Teamsponsering took over.
After Renault gave up the sponsorship in 1984, Guimard founded with the two -time Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon one of his active racing driver the sport club France Competion and the company Maxi - Sports Promotion as the legal basis of the team. This management concept was at the time considered innovative because Guimard and Fignon hereby established an operating company, which entertained the contractual relations with sponsors and staff. Until then, the staff were often hired directly by the main sponsor and the inventory of the team was entirely dependent on the particular sponsor. They won Systeme U for this new concept. This company sponsored the team in the first three years with an amount of 45 million francs. In 1990, Castorama followed as a new sponsor ..
In the first two years, the team went further with wheels of the brand Gitane until 1991 with Raleigh wheels and then on such branded Cyrille Guimard.
Guimard was general manager of the team.
History
1986 could already achieve success the new team. Laurent Fignon won the Walloon Arrow for themselves. Thierry Marie won the prologue of the Tour de France. Marie wore the yellow jersey for several days and the team could MZF decide for themselves. The best result finally drove the French champion Yvon Madiot as the tenth overall.
1987 stood out in particular Charly Mottet out with his services. He won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and wore the yellow jersey for several days of the Tour de France, where he graduated as the fourth overall. The team won the team classification at the Tour de France. Charly Mottet was also able to enter the end of the season abolished in 2004 Grand Prix des Nations in his trophy case.
Raleigh - 1989 - the team in Super U was renamed Fiat. Gitane got out as a sponsor and Raleigh took the place of the material sponsor. Laurent Fignon was able to re- Milan - Sanremo win this year. There were also the overall winner of the Giro d' Italia in 1989 and the historically tight second place overall in the Tour de France 1989.
Fignon left the team in 1992. Jacky Durand scored in the same year for the team of one of its greatest successes when he won the Tour of Flanders.
Among the most famous riders of the team except Fignon and Durand included Laurent Brochard, Luc Leblanc, Thierry Marie and Bjarne Riis.
Success (selection)
- France France French Road Championships 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994
- France France French time trial championships 1995
- Critérium International 1990
- Milano- Sanremo 1988, 1989
- Tour of Flanders 1992
- Walloon Arrow 1986
- Four Days of Dunkirk in 1993
- Giro d' Italia 1989
- Critérium du Dauphiné 1987
- Clasica San Sebastián 1994
- Grand Prix Ouest France 1986
- Tour de l' Avenir 1988
- GP Eddy Merckx 1986
- GP des Nations, 1987, 1988, 1989
- Tour of Lombardy 1988