Kelme (cycling team)

The team Kelme was a Spanish cycling team that existed from 1980 to 2006.

Team Profile

In 1979, the sporting goods manufacturer Kelme sponsored the mountain stage of the Vuelta a España. The owners, however, were not satisfied with the public attention and decided the following year to start a cycling team. Kelme was sponsor by the end of 2003. Thereafter, the tourism promotion of Valencia took over the main sponsorship and the team stayed for three years under the name of Comunidad Valenciana exist.

The team had for 23 years Kelme as the main sponsor and by various co-sponsors the names Kelme - Ibexpress, Kelme - Xacobeo, Kelme - Sureña, Kelme - Artiach and Kelme -Costa Blanca. Under the main sponsor of the team Comunidad Valenciana Comunidad Valenciana - Kelme was first called, then Comunidad Valenciana Moose and last year Comunidad Valenciana.

The team included a total of 26 years until 2006 and was the longest running team in the entire field of cycling. Team Manager and Directeur Sportif was until recently the controversial former professional cyclist Vicente Belda; previously had mainly Rafael Carrasco (1980-1992) and Alvaro Pino (1993-1999) coined the team. The Kelme team belonged in the 1990s to the so-called GS1 team. These were the 30 teams who possessed the highest professional license in the sport of cycling. The entangled in the doping scandal Eufemiano Fuentes Fuentes was temporarily team doctor of the Kelme team.

The main use of the Kelme team was especially beside Spanish minor race, the three grand tours, the Tour de France, the Giro d' Italia and Vuelta a España, the domestic scheduled. The organizers of the three grand tours considered the team regularly, and the drivers achieved particularly in the late 1990s and significant in the years following success in the tours. Kelme has never been a team that could often convince the sprint or even in one-day races. Rather, their quality was on mountainous terrain. The limited budget forced the team year after year, that became known, most successful and unequivocally characterized expensive professional cyclists to let them go to teams with a greater financial leeway.

Doping controversy

In March 2004, the former Kelme professional described in an exclusive interview with the Spanish sports daily As systematic doping in the team, including in particular blood doping and numerous other applications of performance-enhancing drugs. The team immediately denied the accusations and Jean -Marie Leblanc, the former director of the Tour de France was also skeptical. After detailed revelations the team had to return his invitation to the Tour de France 2004.

Under the following investigations led to interviews with various members of the Kelme team in April 2004, including Eufemiano Fuentes, who was team physician at Kelme at that time, his predecessor Walter Viru and Alfredo Córdova of the Liberty Seguros but worked in 2003 for Kelme worked. An investigation was concerned with Fuentes and was carried out by the anti-drug unit of the Guardia Civil. In May 2006, several arrests were made , which were based directly on the expressions of Manzano. Manzano claimed m June 2007 that Alejandro Valverde during the Vuelta a España 2002 've doped by taking testosterone.

History since 1998

In 1998, the really big coup came. The overall winner of the Vuelta a España missed the Spanish climber Fernando Escartin due to its limited time trial skills. Escartin was behind Abraham Olano second in the tour. Roberto Heras secured a stage win at the Vuelta, Angel Edo won a stage at the Giro. At the Tour de France the Kelme team as the other Spanish teams rose from just a few days before the tour circuit.

1999, secured the young Spaniard Roberto Heras a stage win and fifth place in the overall standings in the Tour of Italy. Fernando Escartin was winning a mountain stage of the Tour de France. In addition, the climber was on the podium of the Tour for the first time. In the Vuelta a España Roberto Heras took third place and Jose Luis Rubiera sixth place in the overall standings.

The year 2000 was a very successful year for the team. Jose Luis Rubiera was eighth in the Giro d' Italia and secured a stage win. At the Tour de France Kelme won the team and they made sure in the overall standings with Roberto Heras fifth, Santiago Botero Fernando Escartin the seventh and eighth place. Javier Otxoa as well as Santiago Botero won a mountain stage. Botero also won the polka-dot jersey for the best climber. In the Vuelta a España in September Roberto Heras won the overall and a stage just like his teammate Felix Cardenas.

In February 2001, the crashed Kelme professional Ricardo Otxoa, he succumbed to his injuries. His brother and training mate Javier Otxoa lay for weeks in a coma and could never operate professional sports again. A motorist ignored the Otxoa brothers, who just completed a training ride.

In the 2001 Tour de France Santiago Botero reached the eighth place, the new Spanish cycling hope Oscar Sevilla was seventh in the overall standings. In addition, he won the white jersey of best young rider. A stage win was Felix Cardenas recorded. Again, the Spanish team won the team title. In the domestic Vuelta, the young Oscar Sevilla took second place, just 47 seconds behind the winner.

Aitor Gonzalez finished sixth, as well as two stage victories in the Giro d' Italia 2002. Santiago Botero missed fourth just under the podium at the Tour de France and won a time trial ahead of Lance Armstrong and a mountain stage. In the Vuelta he also won both time trials. In the Vuelta to Kelme was able to secure second overall victory of the Tour of Spain. Aitor Gonzalez was after 21 stages winners and won two stages, Oscar Sevilla finished fourth. In October, Santiago Botero world time trial champion could call, he won the race and was able to slip over the rainbow jersey in 2003, each time trial.

The Kelme team remained in 2003 in both the Giro and the Tour pale. The best finish at the Giro was the 18th place in the Tour a 27th place in the overall standings by Javier Pascual Llorente, who later however convicted of EPO doping and was banned for one year. Kelme sat the two young Spaniard Oscar Sevilla and Alejandro Valverde in the Tour of Spain. Valverde, who had shone in the spring, won two stages and finished third parties for Oscar Sevilla, it was only enough for 12th place overall. In the road world championship Alejandro Valverde became vice world champion.

The team lost at the beginning of 2004, the GS1 license. Kelme retired as principal sponsor. In this year the team Comunidad Valenciana.Kelme said. Main sponsor was now the tourism promotion of the Valencia region, the sporting goods manufacturer Kelme, who gave the name of 24 years the cycling team, has moved to the location of the co- sponsor in 2004. In 2005, the company withdrew completely from the Kelme cycling.

As a result of the former Kelme rider Jesus Manzano expressions (→ # Kelme doping controversy ), the Valencia team not invited to the Giro. In the tour she was also no longer desired. So the team focused solely alone on the Spanish racing calendar and the Tour of Spain. There they won the team title, as well as four stages ( Jose Julia, Javier Pascual Rodriguez, Alejandro Valverde and Eladio Jiménez ). Valverde finished fourth in the overall standings, but the second in the Vuelta Santiago Pérez, blood doping was transferred. Carlos Garcia Quesada Comunidad Valenciana was 5, David Blanco reached the 10th place. Valverde won in 2004 in the rest of a total of 15 stages at various bike races.

In spring 2005, secured Francisco Cabello the Appreciation Andalusia Tour, the Aragon tour went in April to Rubén Plaza, Carlos Garcia Quesada won the Vuelta a Castilla y León and Asturias tour went to his younger brother Adolfo Garcia Quesada. All tours are Spanish stage race. Nevertheless, it was welcome as in years before, neither in the Giro, nor in the Tour. Only when the domestic Tour of Spain was allowed to compete. There, the team again won the team title, also, they made sure three stage wins ( Rubén Plaza, Carlos García Quesada and Eladio Jiménez ). García Quesada finished fourth in the overall accounting and Ruben Plaza fifth.

For the Tour of Italy in 2006 it was just as ignored in recent years. However, in the Tour de France one was welcome again, you received a wildcard. Shortly before the Tour de France shook the cycling world a doping scandal. A doping laboratory was discovered, was the main suspect doctor Spaniard and former team doctor of the Kelme team and Once Eufemiano Fuentes. We found evidence of 38 cyclists who doped among other autologous blood. including 17 drivers of the Valencia team. Of the 38 cyclists no one was allowed to participate in the Tour de France, the Valencia team suffered the same fate as that of the Astana team. The team was not able to provide the minimum number of riders for the tour, which were not involved in the doping scandal therefore. So it was unloaded again a week before the tour.

So could begin only in small Spanish race the Valencia team. The last overall victory a tour David Blanco won in the Tour of Portugal. Rubén Plaza los won the last race, the Clasica a Puerto, in which took part in the team. The tourism advertising for Valencia ended in late 2006 its sponsorship and the team concluded.

Statistics for 2006

Well-known former driver

Colombia Santiago Botero (1996-2002)
Colombia Hernán Buenahora (1996-1997)
Spain Ángel Edo (1992-1999)
Spain Fernando Escartín (1996-2000)
Spain Aitor González (1999-2002)
Spain Santos González (1995-1998)
Spain Roberto Heras (2002-2004)
Spain Miguel Ángel (1997-1998)
Spain Javier Otxoa (1997-2001)

Spain Santiago Pérez (2002)
Spain Álvaro Pino (1991 )
Spain José Luis Rubiera (1994-2000)
Spain Marcos Serrano (1993-1998)
Spain Óscar Sevilla (1998-2003)
Spain Alejandro Valverde (2002-2004)
Spain Ángel Vicioso (1999-2002)
Spain Constantino Zaballa (2001-2003)

Best Merits

2002 ( Botero )

Tour de France 1988: Stage 11 ( Fabio Enrique )
Tour de France 1999: Stage 15 ( Escartin )
Tour de France 2000: Stage 10 ( Otxoa );, Stage 14 ( Botero )
Tour de France 2001: (Sevilla ), Stage 12 ( Félix Cárdenas )
Tour de France 2002: 9th & 15th stage ( Botero )
Giro d' Italia 1982: Stage 16 ( Vicente Belda )
Giro d' Italia 2000: Stage 13 ( Rubiera )
Giro d' Italia 2002: 8th & 19th stage ( González )
Vuelta a España 1981: Stage 7 ( Juan Fernandez ), Stage 9 (Manuel Murga ), stage 11 ( Jésus Suarez), stage 13 ( Belda )
Vuelta a España 1982: Stage 7 ( Enrique Martinez ), stage 13 (José Recio ), stage 18 ( Fernandez )
Vuelta a España 1984: Stage 17 ( Recio )
Vuelta a España 1985: 14th & 18th stage ( Recio )
Vuelta a España 1990: ( Martín Farfán )
Vuelta a España 2003: 9th & 15th stage ( Valverde )
Vuelta a España 2004: Stage 3 ( Valverde ), Stage 10 ( Eladio Jiménez ), Stage 16 (José Cayetano ), stage 18 ( Javier Pascual Rodriguez )
Vuelta a España 2005: Stage 14 ( Eladio Jiménez ), Stage 17 ( Carlos Garcia Quesada ), 20th stage ( Rubén Plaza)

Placings in UCI rankings

UCI World Ranking

UCI Europe Tour

199992