Renault-Elf-Gitane

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Renault-Elf-Gitane

Team information

UCI code

REN

Based

France

Founded

1978

Disbanded

1985

Discipline(s)

Road
Cyclo-cross

Status

Retired

Key personnel

General manager

Cyrille Guimard

Previous team name(s)

1978-1980
1981-1985

Renault-Gitane
Renault-Elf




Team kit

Renault-Elf-Gitane was a French professional cycling team that was existed from 1978 to 1985 and which cycled on and promoted Gitane racing bikes.

1 History
2 Famous riders
3 Important Victories
4 References

[edit] History

The team was created in 1978 after the Renault auto group purchased the Gitane bicycle manufacturer and became the main sponsor of the Gitane-Campagnolo cycling team that was directed by former French cycling champion Cyrille Guimard and contained the promising young cyclist Bernard Hinault.^[1] From 1978 to 1980 the team was Renault-Gitane but then from 1981 to 1985 the team was Renault-Elf. Elf being an oil company that was owned by the Renault auto group.^[1] During this time the team with Bernard Hinault dominated the sport from 1978 to 1983 with four wins in the Tour de France, two wins in the Vuelta a España and two wins in the Giro d'Italia. Hinault won several smaller stage races as well as one day races which included Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Paris-Roubaix, Giro di Lombardia, the Amstel Gold Race and the 1981 World Cycling Championships. Guimard signed several American riders which included future Tour de France winner Greg LeMond. LeMond made an immediate impression with his third place finish behind Hinault in the 1981 Dauphiné Libéré. Hinault left the team at the end of 1983 after Renault-Elf team mate Laurent Fignon won the 1983 Tour de France and became the designated leader of the team. Also in 1983, LeMond became World road race champion. The following year, Fignon came very close to winning the Giro d'Italia, then became French cycling champion and won the 1984 Tour de France. The dominance of the team waned after 1984 when Greg LeMond signed with Hinault's new team La Vie Claire and Fignon started suffering from persistent knee injury. The highlight of the 1985 season was Marc Madiot’s win in the cobbled classic Paris-Roubaix. After the 1985 season, the Renault auto group retired from sponsoring in the peloton and the French supermarket Système U became the main sponsor of Guimard’s team that still rode on Gitane cycles making the Système U-Gitane cycling team.^[1]