1.
Movistar Team (men's team)
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Movistar Team is a professional road bicycle racing team which participates in the UCI ProTour and has achieved thirteen general classification victories in Grand Tours. The title sponsor is the Spanish mobile telephone company Telefónica, with the team riding under the name of the companys brand Movistar, the team offices are in Egüés, a municipality of Navarre, Spain, in the metropolitan area of Pamplona. A later sponsor was Caisse dEpargne, a French semi-cooperative banking group, having previously used Pinarello bikes, the team rode Canyon frames in 2014, with Campagnolo parts. Since 2008 Eusebio Unzué has been the manager of the team after the long running manager, José Miguel Echavarri, directeurs sportifs of the team include Neil Stephens, Alfonso Galilea and José Luis Jaimerena. The team began in 1980 as the Reynolds team which José Miguel Echavarri as the directeur sportif, in 1982 signed a young Pedro Delgado who acted as a domestique for team leader Ángel Arroyo during the 1982 Vuelta a España. Arroyo won the Vuelta after his team controlled the race after he took the lead, but 48 hours after his Vuelta win, the results of a positive test were made known for Methylphenidate. Arroyo and the Reynolds team denied that Arroyo doped and asked for a B-analysis which confirmed the positive A-sample, Arroyo became the first winner of the Vuelta a España to be disqualified. Delgado changed teams in 1985 but returned to Reynolds in 1988 where he won the 1988 Tour de France, in 1984, Miguel Indurain made his professional debut with the team. In 1990 Spanish bank Banesto took over as the sponsor of the team from Reynolds. Delgado was the leader for the Tour de France while Miguel Indurain. When Gorospe took the lead in that years Vuelta, the team went behind him in a bid to win the race. Over the following years, Indurain rose to become a dominator of stage races winning five editions of the Tour de France, Delgado was the team leader for the Vuelta. The team also achieved success with Jean-François Bernard who won the 1992 edition of Paris–Nice with the team, the team won the Vuelta again in 1998 with Abraham Olano. During this time Alex Zülle joined the team and finished the 1999 Tour de France second overall while legendary climber José María Jiménez performed in the Vuelta a España, the team became known as iBanesto. com in the final years of the sponsorship of the Banesto bank. In 2004 Illes Balears, the Balearic Islands Tourism Board, became the principal sponsor. Caisse dEpargne took over from Banesto as the sponsor in the 2005 season. Caisse dEpargne then became the sponsor in 2006 reversing the title sponsor ordering with the name. The team fielded a number of contenders in the 2005 Tour de France including Francisco Mancebo, Alejandro Valverde, Vladimir Karpets
2.
Tony Rominger
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Tony Rominger is a Swiss former professional road racing cyclist who won the Vuelta a España in 1992,1993 and 1994 and the Giro dItalia in 1995. He began cycling late, allegedly spurred by competition with his brother, romingers strengths were time-trialling, climbing and recuperation. He was a challenger to Miguel Indurain in the Tour de France, placing second in 1993 and his three wins in the Vuelta is a record. In 2005 Roberto Heras broke that record but two months later tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO and was disqualified, Heras win has since been reinstated. In 1994 Rominger broke the hour record twice in a few days. He used Bordeaux velodrome to ride 53.832 km and then 55.291 km and he retired in 1997 after breaking his collarbone at that years Tour de France. He is the agent of Austrian racing cyclist Matthias Brändle, for his attempt on the Hour Record in 1994, he was coached by Dr Michele Ferrari, who was at the trackside during the ride. Palmarès Tony Rominger profile at Cycling Archives
3.
Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
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Djamolidine Abdoujaparov is a former professional road racing cyclist from Uzbekistan. Abdoujaparov was a sprinter, nicknamed The Tashkent Terror as he was so ferocious in the sprints and his unorthodox and often erratic sprinting caused a number of crashes. He competed at the Olympic Games on two occasions, in 1988 for the Soviet Union and in 1996 for Uzbekistan, Abdoujaparov was born in Tashkent to a Crimean Tatar family which was forcibly deported to Uzbekistan during Soviet rule. Abdoujaparov had numerous tussles with Laurent Jalabert in the Tour de Frances green sprinters jersey competition in the early 1990s, despite still holding enough points to win the sprinters jersey, he had to cross the line unaided. Members of his team picked him up, put him back on the bike, in his last complete tour in 1996, Abdoujaparov achieved a mountain breakaway for his last stage win, unusual for a sprinter. By this stage, though, results were not as good and he failed the tests screening for the presence in his body of, among others, the anti-asthma drug clenbuterol. Abdoujaparov, a British rock band formed by former Carter USM guitarist Les Fruitbat Carter, is named after him, List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences List of doping cases in cycling
4.
UAE Team Emirates
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UAE Team Emirates is an Emirati road bicycle racing team. The team is a member of the UCI ProTour, and has been since the tour was formed as the top category of road cycling in 2005, however the team was temporarily suspended from the ProTour in 2010, missing one ProTour event. The team consists mostly of Italian riders, general manager Giuseppe Saronni was himself a professional cyclist. Following the tradition at Saeco, the team is known for its publicity stunts. In the 2005 Giro dItalia the team engaged in a press campaign Battaile dItalia featuring their co-captains Gilberto Simoni, during a rest day of the Giro, the team elected to visit the Monza race track for a photo-op and some training sessions. For the 2013 season the team no longer be using Wilier bikes. Although Wilier had been contracted through to the end of the 2013 season, they cited that Lampre broke the terms and conditions of the contract, former Saunier Duval–Prodir team manager Mauro Gianetti was announced as the co-ordinator for the project. However when the UCI awarded 17 WorldTour licences to teams in November, according to Saronni, the reason for the delay was that the head of the TJ Sport project, Li Zhiqiang, had fallen seriously ill, which prevented funding for the project from being confirmed. As a result the team looked elsewhere for sponsorship, securing funding from the United Arab Emirates, the UCI confirmed the teams WorldTour licence on 20 December. In February 2017, the announced that arline Emirates had signed on with the team as a naming-rights sponsor. The team will subsequently be known as, UAE Team Emirates
5.
Carrera (cycling team)
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Carrera was an Italian-based road bicycle racing team active from 1984 to 1996, named after sponsoring Italian jeans manufacturer Carrera. The team was successful in the Giro dItalia and the Tour de France with three wins and several wins in the Points classification and Mountain Classifications. The Inoxpran cycling team began in 1979, the Inoxpran team achieved success with Italian Giovanni Battaglin who won in the period of a month and a half in 1981 two Grand Tours in with the 1981 Giro dItalia and the 1981 Vuelta a España. Battaglin was the rider in history to achieve this Giro-Vuelta double after Eddy Merckx who achieved the double in 1973. Roberto Visentini had been the Inoxpran team leader in 1983 when he finished second overall in the 1983 Giro dItalia, Carrera Jeans became the title sponsor in 1984 and Visentini finally won the Giro dItalia in 1986. At the end of 1985 the team had signed Stephen Roche to perform for the team at the Tour de France, Roche had a poor season in 1986 but bounced back in 1987. This inter team rivalry came to a head during the race when Roche attacked Visentini, Roche went on to win the race and then the 1987 Tour de France. This was the time that the Carrera team would win the Tour. Roche left the team at the end of 1987 but returned to the team in 1992 for his last two seasons, in 1989, Carrera manager Davide Boifava together with Luciano Bracchi and Francesco Boifava founded Carrera Podium, a manufacturer of cycles. From 1990 on, the team rode on these Carrera bikes, during this time, Claudio Chiappucci rose from being the domestique of Visentini and Roche during the 1987 Giro to the team leader. Chiappucci held the maillot jaune during the 1990 Tour de France finishing the second overall. Chiappucci won the Great Italian Classic Milan–San Remo for the team in 1991, pantanis success was hindered during the last two years of the Carrera teams existence. When Carrera stopped sponsoring a team at the end of 1996. At the same time, Boifava started a team with Asics as the main sponsor, the team doctor of the Carrera cycling team, Dr. Giovanni Grazzi, worked with Professor Francesco Conconi at the University of Ferrara in 1993. It was reported in the Rome-based newspaper, La Republica, in January 2000 that Conconi was involved with administering EPO to riders on the Carrera team. In March 2000 the Italian Judge Franca Oliva published a report detailing the conclusions of an investigation into a number of sports doctors including Professor Conconi and this official judicial investigation concluded that the riders of the Carrera team were administered EPO in 1993. The riders included Stephen Roche, Claudio Chiappucci, Guido Bontempi, Rolf Sørensen, Mario Chiesa, Massimo Ghirotto, in 1997, Claudio Chiappucci told prosecutor Vincenzo Scolastico that he had been using EPO since 1993, but later he recalled that statement. Media related to Carrera at Wikimedia Commons
6.
1992 Tour de France
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The 1992 Tour de France was the 79th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 4 to 26 July. The total race distance was 21 stages and a prologue over 3,978 km, in honor of the Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union, the Tour visited a record seven countries, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Italy. The 1992 race included one of the most remarkable stages of modern history, Claudio Chiappucci took off before the race left France and soloed to a glorious victory at Sestriere high in the Italian Alps. The tifosis exuberance was unrestrained by barriers as Chiappucci overtook the motorbike escort which couldnt break through his adoring fans, Miguel Indurain took his second overall win. There were 22 teams in the 1992 Tour de France, each composed of 9 cyclists, sixteen teams qualified because they were the top 16 of the FICP ranking in May 1992, six other teams were given wildcards in June 1992. The teams entering the race were, Qualified teams Invited teams Miguel Indurain, winner of the 1991 Tour de France, was the clear favourite and his biggest rivals were expected to be Gianni Bugno and Claudio Chiappucci. The prologue was in San Sebastián, close to Indurains home, Indurain won the prologue, with debutant Alex Zülle in second place. In the first stage, Zülle won a bonus in an intermediate sprint. In the second stage, Richard Virenque, another debutant who was an addition to his team, was part of a two-man escape that stayed away. In the team time trial of four, RMO–Onet lost time to the teams specialized in team time trials. In the time trial in stage nine, Indurain took his chance to win time on Lino and Virenque and his rivals, Indurain won the stage. This time trial victory is seen as Indurains career-defining moment. The major mountain stages were stages 13 and 14, Chiappucci won stage 13, and won back some time on Indurain who finished in third place, Chiappucci climbed to the second place in the general classification. In the fourteenth stage, Chiappucci and Indurain finished together, after this stage, Indurain lead the race with only Chiappucci within two minutes, all other cyclists were more than eight minutes behind. With no big mountain stages remaining, the stage that was likely to create time differences between the favourites was the time trial in stage nineteen. Indurain, being a time trial specialist, won that stage, Indurain thus won his second Tour de France. There were several classifications in the 1992 Tour de France, the most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclists finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the leader, identified by the yellow jersey
7.
1994 Tour de France
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The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st edition of the Tour de France, one of cyclings Grand Tours. The Tour began on July 2 with a 7.2 km prologue around the French city Lille, after 21 more days of racing, the Tour came to a close on the street of the Champs-Élysées. Twenty-one teams entered the race that was won by Miguel Indurain of the Banesto team, second and third respectively were the Latvian Piotr Ugrumov and the Italian rider, Marco Pantani. Miguel Indurain first captured the lead after the stage 9 individual time trial, Chris Boardman was the first rider to wear the race leaders yellow jersey after winning the opening prologue. Boardman lost the lead to Johan Museeuw after Museeuws GB–MG Maglificio team won the three team time trial. Flavio Vanzella took the lead away from Museeuw the next day as the Tour made its way into Great Britain, Vanzella lost the lead to Sean Yates after the races sixth stage. Yates led the race for a day before losing it to Museeuw after the conclusion of stage 7. Museeuw lost the lead to Indurain after the stage 9 individual time trial, Indurain became the third rider to win four consecutive Tours de France. Festina-Lotus won the classification, which ranked each of the twenty teams contesting the race by lowest cumulative time. A total of 21 teams were invited to participate in the 1994 Tour de France, the Jolly Componibili–Cage team of Zenon Jaskuła, who had finished in third place in the 1993 Tour de France, was not selected. Each team sent a squad of nine riders, so the Tour began with a peloton of 189 cyclists, out of the 189 riders that started this edition of the Tour de France, a total of 117 riders made it to the finish in Paris. The teams entering the race were, Qualified teams Invited teams The 1994 edition of the Tour de France began with a short 7.2 km prologue that navigated around the French city of Lille. There were a total of six stages that many high mountains. Eleven of the stages were flat stages. The official route contained four time trials, three of which were individual and one of which was a team event, there were two stages that began or ended outside France. Stage 4 began in the English port town of Dover and ended in Brighton, the fifth stage began and ended in the British city of Portsmouth. Of the stages that contained mountains, four contained summit finishes, stage 11 to Hautacam, stage 12 to Luz Ardiden, stage 16 to Alpe dHuez, the nineteenth stage, an individual time trial, had a summit finish to Avoriaz. The 1994 edition of the Tour de France began with a brief 7.2 km prologue around the city of Lille, englishman Chris Boardman set a blistering pace on the course en route to winning the stage by fifteen seconds over the second-place finisher Miguel Indurain
8.
Tour de France
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The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper LAuto, the race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened, participation expanded from a primarily French field, as riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams. Traditionally, the race is primarily in the month of July. The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long segments over a 23-day period, the race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits of France. The number of teams usually varies between 20 and 22, with nine riders in each, all of the stages are timed to the finish, the riders times are compounded with their previous stage times. The rider with the lowest aggregate time is the leader of the race, gaining a stage win is also a hotly contested competition, fought for by a specialist cycling sprinter on each team. The Tour de France was created in 1903, the roots of the Tour de France trace back to the emergence of two rival sports newspapers in the country. On the one hand was Le Vélo, the first and the largest daily newspaper in France which sold 80,000 copies a day. On the other was LAuto, which had been set-up by journalists and business-people including Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, Adolphe Clément, the new newspaper appointed Henri Desgrange as the editor. He was a prominent cyclist and owner with Victor Goddet of the velodrome at the Parc des Princes, De Dion knew him through his cycling reputation, through the books and cycling articles that he had written, and through press articles he had written for the Clément tyre company. LAuto was not the success its backers wanted, stagnating sales lower than the rival it was intended to surpass led to a crisis meeting on 20 November 1902 on the middle floor of LAutos office at 10 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, Paris. The last to speak was the most junior there, the chief cycling journalist, Desgrange had poached him from Giffards paper. Lefèvre suggested a six-day race of the sort popular on the track, long-distance cycle races were a popular means to sell more newspapers, but nothing of the length that Lefèvre suggested had been attempted. If it succeeded, it would help LAuto match its rival and it could, as Desgrange said, nail Giffards beak shut. Desgrange and Lefèvre discussed it after lunch, Desgrange was doubtful but the papers financial director, Victor Goddet, was enthusiastic. He handed Desgrange the keys to the safe and said
9.
Traffic island
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A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic. It can also be a strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised kerbs or other physical obstructions, Traffic islands can be used to reduce the speed of cars driving through. When traffic islands are longer, they are instead called traffic medians, serving the divider function over a much longer distance. When making left turns, drivers often drive over painted islands even though it is technically illegal. Some traffic islands may serve as refuge islands for pedestrians, in certain areas of the United Kingdom, particularly in The Midlands, the term island is often used as a synonym for roundabout. Traffic circle Refuge island Media related to Traffic islands at Wikimedia Commons
10.
Union Cycliste Internationale
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The Union Cycliste Internationale, commonly known by the acronym UCI, is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland, the UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces disciplinary rules, such as in matters of doping. It also oversees the World Championships, UCI was founded in 1900 in Paris by the national cycling sports organisations of Belgium, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Britain found itself outflanked and it was not able to join the UCI – under the conditions the UCI had imposed – until 1903, there were originally 30 countries affiliated to the union. They did not have voting power and some had no vote at all. Votes were distributed by the number of tracks, or velodromes, France had 18 votes, the highest number, and Germany and Italy 14 each. Britain had eight, a number the writer Bill Mills said was acquired by including many rather doubtful grass tracks, in 1965, under the pressure of the IOC, the UCI created two subsidiary bodies, the International Amateur Cycling Federation and the International Professional Cycling Federation. The UCI assumed a role coordinating both bodies, the FIAC was based in Rome, the FICP in Luxembourg, and the UCI in Geneva. The FIAC was the bigger of the two organisations, with 127 member federations across all five continents and it was dominated by the countries of the Eastern bloc which were amateur. The FIAC arranged representation of cycling at the Olympic Games, in 1992, the UCI reunified the FIAC and FICP, and merged them back into the UCI. The combined organisation then relocated to Aigle, close to the IOC in Lausanne, in 2004, the UCI constructed a 200-metre velodrome at the new World Cycling Centre adjacent to its headquarters. In September 2007 the UCI announced that it had decided to award ProTour status for the first time ever to an event outside of Europe, the announcement followed negotiations between UCI President Pat McQuaid and South Australian Premier Mike Rann. In 2013 Tracey Gaudry became the first woman appointed as president of the UCI. The UCI organises cyclings world championships, administration of which it gives to member nations, the first championships were on the road and on the track. They were allocated originally to member nations in turn, on condition the country was deemed competent, a nation given a championship or series of championships was required to pay the UCI30 per cent of ticket receipts from the track and 10 per cent from the road. Of this, the UCI kept 30 per cent and gave the rest to competing nations in proportion to the number of events in which it competed, the highest gate money in this pre-war era was 600000 francs in Paris in 1903. There were originally five championships, amateur and professional sprint, amateur and professional road race, continental European organisers generally preferred massed races on circuits, fenced throughout or along the finish to charge for entry. The original records were on the track, unpaced, human-paced and they were promoted for three classes of bicycle, solos, tandems and unusual machines such as what are now known as recumbents, on which the rider lies horizontal
11.
AG2R La Mondiale
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AG2R La Mondiale is a French cycling team with UCI ProTour team status. In 1992 Vincent Lavenu, who had just retired from professional cycling, Lavenu had previously organised sponsorship from Chazal of his last professional team. This sponsor stayed from 1992 to 1995, in 1996 Petit Casino, a chain of coffee shops in supermarkets, took over the sponsorship of the team. At this time the team was a second team that relied on the public to sponsor the team. The team had the saying Petit Casino- c’est votre equipe – it’s your team, in 1997 Casino, the supermarket chain that contained the Petit Casino coffee shops, took over the sponsorship of the team and the budget increased substantially. Lavenu’s team could compete in the big races such as the classics, the team obtained successes with Alexander Vinokourov, Jaan Kirsipuu and Lauri Aus. The insurance company Ag2r Prevoyance took over as the sponsor in 2000. The team obtained successes with Laurent Brochard, Jaan Kirsipuu. In 2006, the joined the UCI ProTour, following the signings of big cycling names Francisco Mancebo. Ag2r obtained success in the 2006 Tour de France with a win by Sylvain Calzati. Nocentini retained the leadership for eight stages, and Ag2r-La Mondiale also led the team classification from stage 7 to stage 11. In 2014, the team had great results at the Tour de France, winning a stage, on September 21,2012, Steve Houanard tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test and was provisionally suspended. On May 15,2013, Sylvain Georges tested positive for the banned stimulant Heptaminol, Georges blamed the positive result on the freely available product Ginkor Fort. On May 21 Georges B Sample also tested positive for the stimulant causing the team to remove itself from the 2013 Criterium du Dauphine in accordance with MPCC rules. As a result of the positive Georges was banned by the French Cycling Federation for 6 months, on March 10,2015, the UCI announced that Lloyd Mondory had tested positive for EPO on February 17 in an out of competition test. As a result, Mondory was suspended bearing the outcome of his B sample analysis, ‹See Tfd› Official website Chambery CF
12.
Chateau d'Ax (cycling team)
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Chateau dAx was an Italian professional cycling team that existed from 1983 to 1993, when it was succeeded by Team Polti. Among its various sponsors was Chateau dAx, an Italian furniture manufacturer, media related to Chateau dAx at Wikimedia Commons
13.
7-Eleven (cycling team)
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The 7-Eleven Cycling Team, later the Motorola Cycling Team, was a professional cycling team founded in the U. S. in 1981 by Jim Ochowicz, a former U. S. Olympic cyclist. The team lasted 16 years, under the sponsorship of 7-Eleven through 1990, from 1989 to 1996 it rode on Eddy Merckx bikes. 7-Eleven was formed as a cycling team in 1981 by Ochowicz. Ochowicz had managed the U. S. national speed-skating team and was friends with Eric and Beth Heiden and he managed to get sponsorship from the Southland Corporation, owners of the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain, and bicycle manufacturer Schwinn to form an amateur team. Of the seven men on the inaugural 7-Eleven-Schwinn team racing in 1981, Eric Heiden was the captain, the other Americans were Jeff Bradley, Greg Demgen, Bradley Davies, Tom Schuler, Danny Van Haute and Roger Young. They were joined by Canadian Ron Hayman, the all-amateur 7-Eleven team was featured in the 1985 movie American Flyers, starring Kevin Costner. Southland continued its commitment by sponsoring the cycling venue at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the other sponsors of the team included Descente, Huffy, Campagnolo, and Tag Heuer. Often, those sponsors elected not to continue after their contracts were completed. In 1985, Ochowitz changed the teams status to professional. Ochowicz disbanded the team after the 1996 season, when Motorola decided to discontinue sponsorship, while it was not the first professional cycling team in the U. S. 7-Eleven was responsible for an overall increase in bike racing interest in the U. S. The team claimed a win in a Grand Tour, when Andrew Hampsten won the championship as well as the mountains championship at the 1988 Giro dItalia. It also claimed a handful of championship medals and US championships, as well as Tour de France and Giro stage wins. It was the second U. S. team to ride the Giro dItalia and in the Tour de France and its Tour de France stage winners included Phinney, Jeff Pierce, Hampsten and Dag Otto Lauritzen from Norway. In 1989 Brian Walton won the pro-am Milk Race, as of 2009, Team 7-Eleven is the only cycling team to have been inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame. Finally Eddy Merckx sponsored the team from 1989 through their ultimate cessation in 1996, for Eddy Merckx, sponsoring the American team had a special meaning. Eddy Merckx said, I had a relationship with the 7-Eleven team. They were happy to have somebody with my racing and frame-building experience, for me remains a great memory. I was happy I could make more successful in Europe
14.
Festina (cycling team)
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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, 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, with the sole exception of 1996. In 1991 the team signed the Portuguese cyclist Acacio Da Silva who would not win the classification in that year’s Vuelta a España. The team signed Sean Kelly in 1992 who won Milan–San Remo, the team entered its first Tour de France in 1992. Richard Virenque joined the team in 1993, 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. Team doctor Eric Rijkaert was also arrested, Rijkaert was team doctor from 1993 to 1998. However, on October 24,2000, Virenque finally confessed and was handed a suspension, 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. 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 sponsor Festina continued in professional cycling for many more by being the official timekeeper at the Tour de France, the Giro dItalia. Media related to Festina at Wikimedia Commons
15.
ONCE (cycling team)
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ONCE cycling team, also known as Liberty Seguros, Liberty Seguros–Würth and in succession in its final year, Astana–Würth and Astana was a Spanish cycling team. It competed in the UCI ProTour circuit, on 25 May 2006, Liberty Mutual pulled out of primary sponsorship due to a doping scandal involving the directeur sportif, Manolo Saiz. On 2 June 2006, the team acquired a primary sponsor named Astana, würth was co-sponsor until 3 July 2006, withdrawing at the end of the 2006 Tour de France, in which Astana–Würth didnt compete. At the end of the season, Astana also withdrew due to the non-participation in the Tour, on 16 December 2006, the UCI withdrew the ProTour licence of Saizs company, Active Bay. Some riders and staff formed the Kazakhstan-based Astana Team, the team traces its lineage to the Spanish team, ONCE, sponsored by a lottery for the blind. Manolo Saiz, one of few managers who was not a former rider, introduced more professional management, closer supervision in coaching, equipment, in the 2003 Vuelta he was banned from the race after insulting a motorcycle-mounted TV cameraman, his comments broadcast live. ONCE team was known for its association with Laurent Jalabert and Alex Zülle in the 1990s, dominating spring races such as Paris–Nice, La Flèche Wallonne, the team won the Vuelta a España in 1995,1996 and 1997. It dominated the 1995 Vuelta with Jalabert winning overall, the points competition and it was also best team, with Johan Bruyneel third. Bruyneel became a directeur sportif and helped Lance Armstrong win seven consecutive Tours de France, ONCE team in the Tour de France had stage wins from Jalabert and domination in the team time trial. Zülle won the Vuelta in 1996 and 1997 but left the team in 1998, the team signed the 1998 winner and individual time trial specialist, Abraham Olano, who challenged in the 1999 Vuelta but never won a second Grand Tour. Joseba Beloki became leader and challenged Armstrong in the 2002 and 2003 Tours, Isidro Nozal led the 2003 Vuelta until Roberto Heras took the lead on the penultimate day. ONCEs sponsorship was so successful that brand penetration was 100% in Spain, at the end of 2003 ONCE stopped sponsorship. Saiz obtained a new sponsor, Liberty Mutual, most of the riders stayed, including Isidro Nozal and Igor González de Galdeano. Saiz signed Heras, he did not perform well at the 2004 Tour de France, in the 2005 the team started with wins in the Tour Down Under through Alberto Contador and Luis León Sánchez. In the 2005 Tour the team won the stage to Mende courtesy of Marcos Antonio Serrano, alexander Vinokourov joined in 2006 for three seasons to challenge for top finish in the Tour de France. Fellow Kazakhstan riders Andrei Kashechkin, formerly of Crédit Agricole, on 25 November, Roberto Heras was fired after a urine sample from the 2005 Vuelta a España, which he had won, tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO. Heras was stripped of what would have been a fourth win. On 23 May 2006, Saiz was arrested in relation to a doping scandal
16.
1993 Giro d'Italia
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The 1993 Giro dItalia, was the 76th edition of the Giro dItalia, one of cyclings Grand Tours. The Giro started off in Porto Azzurro on 23 May with a stage, with the first leg being a mass-start stage. The race ended on 13 June with a stage that stretched 166 km from Biella to Milan, twenty teams entered the race, which was won by Miguel Indurain of the Banesto team. Second and third respectively were the Latvian Piotr Ugrumov and the Italian rider, Moreno Argentin was the first rider to wear the race leaders maglia rosa after winning the opening stage. Argentin held that lead for ten days before losing it to Miguel Indurain after the conclusion stage 10. Bruno Leali stole the lead away from Indurain after the eleventh leg. Indurain gained the lead after mountainous stage 14 and then held it all the way to the Giros finish in Milan, Indurain became the first Spanish rider to win the Giro dItalia in consecutive years. Lampre-Polti finished as the winners of the classification, ranking each of the twenty teams contesting the race by lowest cumulative time. Ariostea finished as winners of the points classification. Twenty teams were invited by the organizers to participate in the 1993 edition of the Giro dItalia. Each team sent a squad of nine riders, which meant that the race started with a peloton of 180 cyclists, from the riders that began the race,132 made it to the finish in Milan. With the aforementioned riders absence, Dalmases stated that Italian Adriano Baffi would likely win some of the flat stages, in addition, Dalmases believed Maurizio Fondriest was in peak form coming into the race and that he would be the first rider to don the race leaders maglia rosa. The route for the 1993 Giro dItalia was unveiled by race director Carmine Castellano on 14 November 1992 and it contained three time trial events, all of which were individual. Another stage with a finish was stage 19, which consisted of a climbing time trial to village of Sestriere. The organizers chose to include one rest day, when compared to the previous years race, the race was 141 km shorter, contained one more rest day, more mountains, and lacked an opening time trial prologue. In addition, this race contained one fewer stage, but two sets of half stages. The race began with a stage on the island of Elba. The race last visited in 1980 where the finished in Portoferraio with a sprint finish won by Carmelo Barone
17.
Puy du Fou
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Puy du Fou is a historical theme park in Les Epesses in the heart of the Vendée region of Western France. The park brings more than 2 million visitors every year, making it the second most popular park in France after Disneyland Paris. The history of Puy du Fou as a park started in 1977 when Philippe de Villiers. Phillippe de Villiers organised an association of 600 members named lAssociation du Puy du Fou which has as president today Phillippe de Villiers son, Nicolas de Villiers. The Grand Park of the Puy du Fou was opened near the Cinéscénie in 1989 and is one of the most popular theme parks in France. In 2011, the Grand Parc of Puy du Fou hosted the team prior to the Tour de France. The park is split into 26 main shows, each running for approximately 130 –140 minutes and it relates the story of a young shepherdess who must defend alone her donjon from the English knights, helped by a lance with supernatural powers. The Vikings is set in a reconstructed 1000-year-old fortress that is attacked by a Viking Longship. The story begins with a marriage in the village, special effects include the emergence of a Longboat from underwater. Triumphs Sign is set in a replica of an amphitheatre that is 115 meters long and 75 meters wide and it recreates the Gaul atmosphere during Roman times. It features a parade of people and animals, gladiatorial combat, chariot racing. It is set during the time of Diocletian, when there was great unrest, the Phantom Birds Dance is a show set to a mysterious story. Dozens of birds of prey surge from the ruins and swoop low over the heads of the visitors, the falcons are placed on the heads of some visitors wearing hats by the falconers. Many of the birds are released from a balloon floating far overhead. This ends with two hundred birds flying at once around the audience. Richelieus Musketeer features musketeers performing swash-buckling sword fighting and Gypsy girls Flamenco dancing in water, horses also perform special trotting/ jumping techniques. Performed in complete darkness, this is the show that is staged indoors. During April, July and August after sunset the Grand Parc presents Les Orgues de Feu and this show takes place completely on the water and depicts a love story between two musicians. The above spectacles are presented in French, but electronic translators are available and it tells the story of the 700 years of history in the area
18.
Individual time trial
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An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock on flat or rolling terrain, or up a mountain road such as Alpe dHuez. There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, the opening stage of stage race will often be a short individual time trial called a prologue. Starting times are at intervals, usually one or two minutes apart. The starting sequence is based on the finishing times in preceding races with the highest ranked cyclist starting last. Starting later gives the racer the advantage of knowing what time they need to beat, competitors are not permitted to draft behind each other. Any help between riders is forbidden, the rider with the fastest time is declared the winner. Bicycle construction is limited by regulations covering dimensions and other such as weight. Race regulations typically dictate a minimum distance behind the cyclist which the car must maintain, the Vuelta a España often features a final individual time trial in Madrid in which the winner is often decided, providing much drama and excitement at the end of the stage race. In recent years, Óscar Sevilla and Roberto Heras have seen their lead evaporate in the trial in Madrid. The Grand Prix des Nations was an event, professionals may also compete in the annual World time trial championship. The individual time trial is also an Olympic event in which professionals are allowed to participate, most recent winners of the Tour de France have been good time-trialists, exceptions include Marco Pantani, Carlos Sastre, and Andy Schleck, who were climbing specialists. As a result, the trial is often considered the most difficult part of any major competition for young cyclists. Special aerodynamic time trial bicycles, clothing, helmets, aerobars, generally, components are designed to be as aerodynamic as possible, as most of the riders effort goes into overcoming aerodynamic drag. TT bikes often have lower handlebars than normal road racing bikes to facilitate this, also, the saddle is sometimes moved forwards relative to the handlebars and bottom bracket to allow the hips a more natural angle of motion, improving performance. Up until the late 1980s, low-profile bullhorn handlebars were used, then in the late 1980s triathletes developed so-called tri-bars that allowed for a much better aerodynamic position. Fignon was using conventional handlebars, Lemond the new triathlon style, the concept has changed little since then, with only Scotsman Graeme Obree attempting to improve the idea. His arms-under-the-torso tuck was revolutionary, helping him and others to break world records, the UCI banned it in 1994, but he came back with the Superman position, an evolution of the traditional tri position, but with the arms fully stretched out in front. Equipment used is very specialized, and component manufacturers can spend vast sums of time, deep section or solid disc wheels are often used to reduce turbulence around the spokes, but these can affect handling in windy conditions
19.
Les Sables-d'Olonne
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Les Sables-dOlonne is a seaside town in western France, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a sub-prefecture of the Department of Vendée, and has the level of commune. Les Sables-dOlonne is a town in western France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The nearest major metropolitan center of France, to Les Sables-dOlonne, is Nantes and it is at the level of administrative division in the French Republic of a commune—roughly equivalent to civil townships in the United States—and is a sub-prefecture of the Department of Vendée. Les Sables-dOlonne is French for the sands of Olonne and it was founded in 1218 from Havre dOlonne by Savary I de Mauléon, the Lord of Mauléon, Sénéchal of Poitou and prince of Talmont. Its history is tied to the ocean for which it has served as a port, louis XI separated Les Sables dOlonne from the town of Olonne in 1472. It became the largest cod-fishing port in France, with 14,000 inhabitants, during the French Revolution, unlike the surrounding Vendée, the city supported the Republic, and so was often besieged—unsuccessfully, because of its port. The current local tourism industry traces its roots to bathing establishments, rail service reached Les Sables on 29 December 1866, via the line from La Roche-sur-Yon, Bressuire, Saumur, and Tours, express service t and from Paris would arrive in 1971. Germany occupied, Les Sables dOlonne during World War II, and upon evacuation of that army at wars end, the German army made an effort to destroy the port, the Vendée Globe yacht race, which takes place every four years, starts and ends at Les Sables-dOlonne. The Musée de lAbbaye Sainte-Croix is a museum situated in a 17th-century building that is devoted to modern and contemporary art. It includes works of Gaston Chaissac and Victor Brauner, Les Sables-dOlonne is the setting for 1948 novel Les Vacances de Maigret, by Georges Simenon. The town is the birthplace of pirate François lOlonnais, Les Sables-dOlonne has been a sister town of the following European communities, Schwabach, Germany since 1975, Sliema, Malta, since 2005, Trapani, Italy, and Worthing, United Kingdom, since 1998. Communes of the Vendée department INSEE City council website Les Sables-dOlonne, Vendee Globe Race Les Sables-dOlonne Tourist Board
20.
Mario Cipollini
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Mario Cipollini, often abbreviated to Cipo, is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance and his colourful personality. His nicknames include Il Re Leone and Super Mario and he is regarded as one of the best sprinters of his generation. Cipollini was born in Lucca, Tuscany, Mario was a prolific winner in his youth career, scoring a total of 125 victories in age group and amateur races before joining the professional peloton in 1989. His career highlights include the Road World Championships and Milan–San Remo in 2002, Cipollinis 42nd Giro stage win in 2003 - his last stage win in that race — broke the record by Alfredo Binda that had stood since 1933. He also won 12 stages in the Tour de France and three stages in the Vuelta a España, in the 1999 Tour de France he led the peloton on the fastest stage in the history of the Tour, averaging more than 50 km/h over 194.5 km. In the same Tour, he won 4 stages in a row and he has also found success in Belgium, winning Gent–Wevelgem in 1992,1993 and 2002. At the peak of his career, Cipollinis speed was unrivaled and this changed the way teams approached mass sprints and bred a new generation of sprinters such as fellow Italian Alessandro Petacchi. The beginning of 2002 saw Cipollini win Milan–San Remo with his new Acqua-Sapone team, however, a falling out with the organizers of the Tour de France made him announce his retirement. Italian national coach Franco Ballerini convinced him to return to competition, Cipollini won the rainbow jersey in a sprint finish in Zolder, Belgium. In the 2003 Giro dItalia Cipollini focused on Alfredo Bindas record 41 Giro stage wins while in the world champions jersey and his attempt was almost derailed by Alessandro Petacchi of the Fassa Bortolo team. After many failed attempts, he broke the record, although he had to abandon the next stage due to injuries in a crash on a rain-soaked finish. He said that the crash ended his career and his team, Domina Vacanze-Elitron, was left out of the Tour de France that year, prompting a comment from Cipollini that the organisers disrespected the rainbow jersey. When he retired from the 2004 Giro due to another crash, in 2008, he returned to competitive cycling with the Rock Racing team at the Tour of California. Cipollini also became famous for extravagant clothing, especially racing uniforms, some of his memorable kits include a muscle suit, zebra, and tiger prints, and a techno-skinsuit inspired by the 1982 film Tron. He was fined for wearing an all-yellow outfit while leading the Tour de France and these antics violated UCI regulations, which resulted in Cipollini and his team being fined thousands of Swiss francs. The muscle suit fetched 100 million lira in a charity auction, some organisers, especially Jean-Marie Leblanc of the Tour de France, took offence at his hijinks and he wasnt invited to race in the Tour from 2000–2003, despite being the world champion in 2003. Later in 2003, he drew the ire of the organisers of the Vuelta a España when he quit after the time trial. His team had been invited to compete with the condition that Cipollini participated and he said he was recovering from injury and should not have been forced to race in the first place
21.
Vannes
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Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago, Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 kilometres northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west of Paris, Vannes is a market town and often linked to the sea. The name Vannes comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived in the part of Armorica in Gaul before the Roman invasions. The region seems to have involved in a cross channel trade for thousands of years, probably using hide boats. Wheat that apparently was grown in the Middle East was part of this trade, at about 150 BC the evidence of trade with the Thames estuary area of Great Britain dramatically increased. The Veneti were defeated by Julius Caesars fleet in 56 BC in front of Locmariaquer, the Romans settled a town called Darioritum in a location previously belonging to the Veneti. From the 5th to the 7th century, the remaining Gauls were displaced or assimilated by waves of immigrant Britons fleeing the Saxon invasions of Britain, the diocese of Vannes was erected in the 5th century. The Council of Vannes was held there in 461, the realm annexed Cornouaille for a time in the early 6th century but was permanently joined with Domnonia under its king and saint Judicaël around 635. In 1342, Vannes was besieged four times between forces from both sides of the Breton War of Succession, the citys defending commander, Olivier de Clisson IV was captured by the English, but finally released. The French eventually executed him on suspicion that the ransom was unusually low, in 1759 Vannes was used as the staging point for a planned French invasion of Britain. A large army was assembled there, but it was never able to sail following the French naval defeat at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in November 1759, in 1795, during the French Revolution, French forces based in Vannes successfully repelled a planned British-Royalist invasion. Inhabitants of Vannes are called Vannetais, the municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya dar brezhoneg on 12 October 2007. In 2008,7. 71% of the attended the bilingual schools in primary education. Train The Gare de Vannes railway station offers connections to Quimper, Rennes, Nantes, Paris, with the fast train TGV, the journey takes, –30 minutes to Lorient, –1 hour to Nantes or Rennes, –3.5 to 4 hours to Paris. The Transport express régional or TRE is a train to join railway stations in the close neighborhood. There is no highway from Vannes to Saint-Brieuc, so the way to northern Brittany consists of small roads, the lack of highway or railway between Vannes and Saint-Brieuc cuts the communications between northern and southern Brittany, and limits Brittany economic performance. Airplanes Vannes has an airfield in the village of Monterblanc, called Vannes-Meucon airport
22.
Wilfried Nelissen
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Wilfried Nelissen is a former Belgium road racing cyclist, who specialised as a sprinter. He was involved in a crash at the end of stage 1 of the 1994 Tour de France, the incident also involved French rider Laurent Jalabert. Nelissen retired in 1998 due to an injury that he suffered in 1996 after falling during the Gent–Wevelgem race. Wilfried Nelissen profile at Cycling Archives
23.
Dinard
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Dinard is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Dinard is on the Côte dÉmeraude of Brittany and its beaches and mild climate make it a popular holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents. The towns of Pleurtuit and Saint-Malo are nearby and the Dinard Pleurtuit Saint-Malo airport is about 4 km south of Dinard, the Wales national football team used Dinard as its base during UEFA Euro 2016. In modern history Dinard was first settled by Saint-Malos shipping merchants who built some of the magnificent houses. The name Dinard comes from the words Din and Arz/Art and it has been claimed, probably erroneously, that the second element means bear/Arthur), the bear in Celtic mythology is a symbol of sovereignship. The town council is in the process of removing the bear from the municipal flag, originally, Dinard was part of the parish of Saint-Énogat. In the late 19th century, the resort became popular with the British wealthy who built magnificent villas on the coast, Dinard rapidly expanded and became one of the most popular seaside resorts in Europe. It started declining in the 1930s when the social set started preferring the Côte dAzur. Today, Dinard is considered as one of the most British of sea resorts in France, the official name of the town was Saint-Énogat until 1879 when the name was changed to Dinard-Saint-Énogat. The name was changed more in 1921 to become simply Dinard. Saint-Énogat is now just the name for the area of the town. Inhabitants of Dinard are called Dinardais in French, Dinard lies on the Gulf Stream which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. The Yacht club has fine examples of tropical palms and plants, the most exclusives hotels are the Grand Hôtel Barrière which looks over the Rance Estuary, and Castelbrac, the former Villa Bric à Brac. Other notable hotels are the Royal, which next to the Casino above the main Esplanade. Further round the coast in the Saint-Énogat area of Dinard is the Thalassa Dinard and this exclusive sea water therapy centre is one of only a few throughout Europe. The architecture of building is sympathetic with the coast line. In the summer, the swells to over 40,000 with the influx of holiday makers. Dinards reputation as the Cannes of the North has attracted a variety of stars
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Avranches
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Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department, by the end of the Roman period, the settlement of Ingena, capital of the Abrincatui tribe, had taken the name of the tribe itself. This was the origin of the name Avranches, in 511 the town became the seat of a bishopric and subsequently of a major Romanesque cathedral dedicated to Saint Andrew which was dismantled during the French revolutionary period. As the region of Brittany emerged from the Roman region of Armorica, Avranchin was briefly held by Alan I, the regions that later became the Duchies of Normandy and Brittany each experienced devastating Viking raids, with Brittany occupied by Vikings from 907 to 937. In 933 Avranches and its territory, the Avranchin, were ceded to the Normans, hugh dAvranches, 1st Earl of Chester, a magnate under William the Conqueror, was the son of Richard le Goz, Vicomte dAvranches. In 1172 a council was held at Avranches in response to the murder of Anglo-Norman Saint Thomas Becket, the same council was forbidden to confer on children benefice, carrying with it the cure of souls, or on the children of priests for the churches of their fathers. Each parish was required to have an assistant, and the Advent fast was commended to all who could observe it, the town was damaged in both the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion. Álvaro Vaz de Almada was made 1st Count of Avranches by King Henry VI of England on August 8,1444, the liberation of Avranches during World War II was led by General George S. Patton and began on 31 July 1944. Avranches is situated at the end of the Cotentin Peninsula on the E40 road connecting Saint-Lô with Brittany. The town was founded on ground overlooking the dunes and coastal marshes along the bay forming the corner between the peninsulas of the Cotentin and Brittany. From Avranches, it is possible to see the Mont Saint-Michel, a museum houses the collection of manuscripts of Mont Saint-Michel, deposited in the municipal archives during the French Revolution. It is one of the largest collections of medieval illuminated manuscripts in France, outside national, the major church Notre Dame des Champs was constructed in Gothic Revival style in the 19th century to restore the religious life of the town after the destruction of the cathedral. A smaller church Saint Gervais houses a treasury, best known for the skull of Saint Aubert complete with hole where the archangel Michaels finger pierced it. The botanical gardens were founded in the grounds of the former Franciscan convent in the late 18th century, the expansion and introduction of exotic species in the 19th century and the location of the gardens overlooking the bay made the gardens an important sight in the town. The Manoir de Brion, an ancient Benedictine priory of Mont Saint-Michel, is located in Dragey, Avranches is twinned with St. Helier in Jersey. On 2 March 2010 a Jersey-registered boat Archangel succeeded in reaching Avranches at Marcey-les-Greves and it is believed this was the first instance of a foreign vessel reaching Avranches in modern times. Hamon de Massey, Norman lord in the barony of Chester, INSEE commune file Herbermann, Charles, ed
25.
Team time trial
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A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock. Teams start at intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart. Starting sequences will usually be based on times in previous events. Later starters have the advantage of knowing what times they need to beat, after their turn, the lead rider will swing over, allowing the next rider to take the lead, while the leader goes to the back of the team. Should one team overtake another, the team would be expected to drop back. The main principle behind a TTT is that a few riders can ride at the front of the formation slightly above their aerobic threshold while others draft behind these riders, the riders then rotate, allowing some riders to recover while drafting behind fresher teammates. A rider who is riding at the front is said to be taking a pull, accelerations require harder efforts, and therefore it is desirable to have a smooth, steady pace. Different riders have different power outputs, lactate thresholds and aerodynamics, a rider finishing a pull usually rotates to the very back of the formation, and the rider who was formerly behind this rider takes over. A rider who needs time to recover may take a longer time at the back of the formation while the other teammates rotate in front of this rider. With increased desired speed, the riders take harder but shorter pulls at the front so as not to burn themselves up, the choice of formation is crucial to the performance of the team because it dictates how fast the riders can rotate. The two most popular formations are the single paceline and double paceline, in a single paceline, riders take longer pulls. Often, a double paceline is desirable since each rider takes shorter pulls and this is why double pacelines are more often seen at the end of a TTT event when the teams are nearing the finish line. The recorded finishing time in a time trial is often based on the N-th rider of that team. For example, in races such as the Tour de France or Giro dItalia the finishing time is based on the 5th rider of the team. They then drop back and leave the remainder of the team to finish the time trial, at the professional level, cycling teams are frequently accompanied by motorcycle outriders, team cars and official scrutineers. In a large race, the TTT will involve all remaining members of the team, with the time taken when, say. In a Stage race, teams usually consist of several members, each member of the team is credited with the time of the N-th team member to cross the finish line, this is usually after the median member of a nine-person team. However, if a rider is dropped from the main group on the course, finishing separately in -th position or later, then the dropped rider will get his actual time
26.
Jesper Skibby
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Jesper Skibby is a retired professional road racing cyclist. He was one of the most popular in Denmark, not only because of his talent and he rode for the Dutch TVM from 1991 to 1997, but switched to the Danish team Team home - Jack & Jones in 1998, where he ended his active career in 2000. He participated in Tour de France 11 times, completed it 8 times and he is one of the relatively few riders to have won stages in all three major tours, and the only Dane. Skibby won the Tour of Holland stage race in 1994 after a breakaway on the last stage. In the 1987 Tour of Flanders, he was the hero, in that his bike got driven over by a race car on the Koppenberg. As a result, the Koppenberg got taken out of the track of the Tour of Flanders. In 2005 he participated in the television show Vild Med Dans, in August 2013 he participates in the television show Doping Epidemien where he will tell about the consequences of using doping for more than 10 years. His sister is Olympic cyclist Karina Skibby and his father is Olympic cyclist Willy Skibby, in November 2006, he released his autobiography, in which he confesses to having used doping for more than 10 years. In 1991 he started using steroids, in 1992 growth hormones and testosterone and he claims that he requested the drugs himself, and he does not name any other riders or contacts in the book. Jesper Skibby profile at Cycling Archives Official Tour de France results for Jesper Skibby List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences List of doping cases in cycling
27.
Amiens
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Amiens is a city and commune in northern France,120 km north of Paris and 100 km south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France, the city had a population of 136,105 according to the 2006 census. It has one of the biggest university hospitals in France with a capacity of 1,200 beds, Amiens Cathedral, the tallest of the large, classic, Gothic churches of the 13th century and the largest in France of its kind, is a World Heritage Site. The author Jules Verne lived in Amiens from 1871 until his death in 1905, during December, the town hosts the largest Christmas market in northern France. The first known settlement at this location was Samarobriva, the settlement of the Ambiani. The town was given the name Ambianum by the Romans, meaning settlement of the Ambiani people, the town has been much fought over, being attacked by barbarian tribes, and later by the Normans. In 1113 the city was recognized by King Louis VI of France, in 1597, Spanish soldiers held the city during the six-month Siege of Amiens, before Henry IV regained control. During the 18th and 19th century, the tradition of Amiens became famous for its velours. In 1789 the provinces of France were dismantled and the territory was organised into departments, much of Picardy became the newly created department of Somme, with Amiens as the departmental capital. During the industrial revolution the city walls were demolished, opening up space for large boulevards around the town centre, the Henriville neighbourhood in the south of the city was developed around this time. In 1848, the first railway arrived in Amiens, linking the city to Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the 1870 Battle of Amiens, when the Somme was invaded by Prussian forces, Amiens was occupied. The town was fought over during both the First and Second World Wars, suffering damage, and being occupied several times by both sides. The 1918 Battle of Amiens, was the phase of the Hundred Days Offensive. It was heavily bombed by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, the city was rebuilt according to Pierre Dufaus plans, with a focus on widening the streets to ease traffic congestion. These newer structures were built of brick, concrete and white stone with slate roofs. The architect Auguste Perret designed the Gare dAmiens train station and nearby Tour Perret, Amiens, the regional prefecture of Picardy, is also the prefecture of the Somme, one of the three departments in the region. Located in the Paris Basin, across the country the city benefits from a geographical position. At the crossroads of major European routes of movement, the city is also at the heart of a major rail star
28.
Johan Bruyneel
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Johan Bruyneel is a former road bicycle racer in professional cycling and a former directeur sportif for UCI ProTour team RadioShack–Nissan. Retiring from racing in 1998, he director of U. S. Postal Service. He participated in two Tour de France wins with Discovery and Astana, with Alberto Contador in 2007 and 2009, Bruyneel left his position at RadioShack–Nissan on 12 October 2012 in the wake of the publication of the United States Anti-Doping Agencys decision into the investigation of Lance Armstrong. In April 2014, the USADA banned Bruyneel from any type of involvement in sanctioned competitions for 10 years, born in Izegem, Belgium, Bruyneel was a successful professional cyclist. Early wins included the 1990 Tour de lAvenir, the 1991 Rund um den Henninger Turm, the 1992 Grand Prix des Nations and Coppa Placci and his stage win set the record for fastest stage at 49.417 km/h, since then only broken by two cyclists. His greatest successes as a pro cyclist came in 1995, at the 1995 Tour de France, he won stage 7, which began in Charleroi and ended in Liège, Belgium, and took the yellow jersey in his home country. Bruyneel launched an escape and was joined by eventual winner Miguel Indurain, the Spaniard took the lead and rode the stage as a time-trial to gain time on his main rivals, with Bruyneel latched onto his wheel, barely able to follow the tempo. He then beat Indurain in the end sprint to win the stage, Bruyneel admitted he felt somewhat uneasy about how he had won. However, the win into Liège afforded him a meeting with the King of Belgium during the prize presentations. That same year, Bruyneel achieved his only finish in a Grand Tour when he finished 3rd at the 1995 Vuelta a España. In the 1996 Tour de France, he missed a curve when descending a hill in stage 7, the frightening moment was captured by a camera team that was driving right behind the group of descenders. After long minutes of uncertainty, Bruyneel could be seen climbing out of the ravine, at that point, Bruyneels teams had won ten Grand Tour championships in nine years (8 Tours de France,1 Giro dItalia and 1 Vuelta a España. Bruyneels book, We Might As Well Win, was published by Houghton Mifflin on 4 June 2008, also, on 29 May 2008, Bruyneel joined the Board of Directors of World Bicycle Relief. But his retirement did not materialize and he brought Discoverys Contador and Leipheimer with him for the 2008 season. Additionally, Leipheimer finished second at the Vuelta, contadors victory in the Tour de France meant that Bruyneel had won four of the last six Grand Tours that his teams entered, and thirteen Grand Tour championships in eleven years. In 2010, Team RadioShack was formed with sponsorship from Radio Shack, Bruyneel confirmed his departure from Astana at the end of the 2009 season to join Team RadioShack. On 28 June 2012, Bruyneel was accused by USADA, although he is not an American citizen, allegations include the assumption that Bruyneel was part of a long-running doping conspiracy, including the use of banned methods to augment the performance of the cycling teams which he directed. As a result of the allegations, Bruyneel declined to appear at the 2012 Tour de France, while some accused in this case, such as Lance Armstrong and Michele Ferrari, did not seek to formally contest the charges via arbitration, Bruyneel asked for an arbitration hearing
Miguel Indurain (ESP)
Mario Cipollini (ITA)
Wilfried Nelissen (BEL)
Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (UZB)
Jesper Skibby (DEN)
Lance Armstrong (USA)
Toni Rominger (SUI)
Olaf Ludwig (GER)
Pascal Lino (FRA)
Oliverio Rincón (COL)
Zenon Jaskuła (POL)
Vladimir Poulnikov (RUS)
Maximilian Sciandri (GBR)
Leonardo Sierra (VEN)
Eddy Bouwmans (NED)
Media related to 1993 Tour de France at Wikimedia Commons
