Gitane-Campagnolo

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Gitane-Campagnolo

Team information

Based

France

Founded

1972

Disbanded

1977

Discipline(s)

Road
Cyclo-cross

Status

Retired

Previous team name(s)

1972
1973
1974
1975-1977

Gitane
Gitane-Frigecreme
Sonolor-Gitane
Gitane-Campagnolo




Team kit

Gitane-Campagnolo was an French professional cycling team that was existed from 1972 to 1977 and which cycled on and promoted Gitane racing bikes.

1 History
2 Famous riders
3 Important Victories
4 References

[edit] History

The team was called Gitane in 1972 and was directed by Andre Desvrages for whom, in 1973, future 1980 Tour de France winner Joop Zoetemelk rode. Gitane had previously sponsored several cycling teams during the late 1950s and 1960s which included Jacques Anquetil. In 1974, the Gitane team fused with the Sonolor team of directeur sportif Jean Stablinski creating the Sonolor-Gitane team which included the Belgian climber Lucien Van Impe. The team was called Gitane-Campagnolo from 1975-1977 and in 1975 signed 1971 French amateur champion Bernard Hinault. During this time the team was directed by Stablinski, but Cyrille Guimard was becoming involved as well as Maurice Champion. Guimard took over as main directeur sportif in 1976 and directed Lucien Van Impe to success in the 1976 Tour de France. Van Impe left the team at the end of the 1976 season and after that Hinault was designated as the team’s captain for stage races. Even though Hinault won the Dauphiné Libéré in 1977 in front of Bernard Thevenet and Lucien Van Impe, he did not start the Tour de France.

After the Renault auto group purchased the Gitane bicycle manufacturer, Renault became the main sponsor of the team making the Renault-Elf-Gitane team.^[1]