Ariostea (cycling team)

Ariostea was an Italian professional cycling team from 1984 to 1993. Its first team manager was Giorgio Vannucci; he was replaced in 1986 by Giancarlo Ferretti, who remained manager until the team was disbanded in 1993.

History
The first major victories were the two stage wins at the 1986 Giro d'Italia by Sergio Santimaria (1st stage, maglia rosa for one day) and Norwegian rider Dag Erik Pedersen (15th stage). The highest placed Ariostea rider in the general classification was Alfio Vandi, who finished 11th, 12 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner.

In the late 1980s the team became a more prominent presence in the peloton. One of its successful riders was Rolf Sørensen who won Paris–Tours in 1990 and the Tirreno–Adriatico of 1992. Moreno Argentin won the team its first "monument", the 1990 Tour of Flanders, followed by a victory at the La Flèche Wallonne. 1990 also saw the team's first Tour de France stage win (Argentin) and two more Girostages (Adriano Baffi).

In 1991, Argentin scored another double in Belgium, with wins in La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. Davide Cassani won three major classics in Italy (Milano–Torino, Giro dell'Emilia and Coppa Agostoni), while Massimiliano Lelli won two Giro stages - finishing third overall. More success followed at the Tour de France as stage wins for Bruno Cenghialta, Argentin and Marco Lietti registered a Tour triple triumph on consecutive days. That followed a team time trial win on Stage 2 into Chassieu that put Rolf Sørensen in the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification for four days.

Ariostea dominated the 1992 Tirreno–Adriatico with five stage wins and the general classification (Sørensen). Giorgio Furlan won the Tour de Suisse, Rolf Gölz the Tour Méditerranéen. There was another stage win in the Giro, this time for Marco Saligari. Roberto Conti finished 9th in the general classification.

In 1993, its final year, Ariostea was victorious in the Amstel Gold Race (Rolf Järmann). Bjarne Riis won a Giro stage and placed 5th in the general classification in the Tour de France. Saligari also won a stage in the Giro, and was the winner that year's Tour de Suisse. By far the most successful rider of the team this year was Pascal Richard of Switzerland. He won the Giro del Lazio, Giro di Lombardia, the Tour de Romandie and a handful of stages and one day races throughout the year. In the team's final race, the 1993 Giro di Lombardia, Ariostea riders Pascal Richard and Giorgio Furlan finished first and second, breaking away for the final 6 miles of the race.

Team manager Ferretti and a number of riders went to the next year.

Major results

 * 1985
 * Jersey white.svg Overall Giro di Puglia, Silvano Contini
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall GP du Midi-Libre, Silvano Contini
 * Stage 1, Silvano Contini
 * Coppa Placci, Silvano Contini


 * 1986
 * Stage 1 Giro d'Italia, Sergio Santimaria
 * Stage 15 Giro d'Italia, Dag Erik Pedersen


 * 1987
 * Stage 8 Tour de Suisse, Alessandro Paganessi


 * 1988
 * Stage 6 Settimana Siciliana, Rolf Sørensen
 * Stage 3 Giro d'Italia, Stephan Joho
 * Stages 1 & 9 Tour de Suisse, Stephan Joho
 * Stage 7 Tour de Suisse, Francesco Cesarini
 * Stage 1b Zürich, Stephan Joho
 * Stage 4 Tour of Denmark, Rolf Sørensen
 * Overall Schwanenbrau Cup, Bruno Cenghialta
 * Stage 2, Rolf Sørensen


 * 1989
 * Giro di Campania, Luciano Rabottini
 * Stage 7a Paris–Nice, Adriano Baffi
 * Stages 2 & 3 Driedaagse van De Panne, Adriano Baffi
 * GP Pino Cerami, Stephan Joho
 * Stage 6 Giro d'Italia, Stephan Joho
 * Winterthur Criterium, Stephan Joho
 * Coppa Bernocchi, Rolf Sørensen
 * Omloop van de Vlasstreek, Rolf Sørensen
 * Six Days of Zürich, Adriano Baffi


 * 1990
 * Overall Settimana Siciliana, Rolf Sørensen
 * Stage 1, Rolf Sørensen
 * Stage 5, Adriano Baffi
 * Trofeo Laigueglia, Rolf Sørensen
 * Stage 5 Paris–Nice, Adriano Baffi
 * Giro dei Sei Comuni, Stephan Joho
 * Tour of Flanders, Moreno Argentin
 * La Flèche Wallonne, Moreno Argentin
 * Stage 2 Giro del Trentino, Adriano Baffi
 * Stages 11 & 18 Giro d'Italia, Adriano Baffi
 * Stage 9 Tour de Suisse, Moreno Argentin
 * Stage 3 Tour de France, Moreno Argentin
 * Stage 2 Tour of Belgium, Adriano Baffi
 * Stage 5b Tour of Belgium, Stephan Joho
 * Coppa Bernocchi, Davide Cassani
 * Stage 6 Volta a Catalunya, Marco Lietti
 * Overall Schwanenbrau Cup, Stephan Joho
 * Stage 3, Stephan Joho
 * Giro dell'Emilia, Davide Cassani
 * Coppa Sabatini, Moreno Argentin
 * Paris–Tours, Rolf Sørensen


 * 1991
 * La Flèche Wallonne, Moreno Argentin
 * Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Moreno Argentin
 * Jersey white.svg Young rider classification Giro d'Italia, Massimiliano Lelli
 * Stage 8, Davide Cassani
 * Stages 12 & 16, Massimiliano Lelli
 * Stage 9 Tour de Suisse, Rolf Sørensen
 * Stage 2 (TTT) Tour de France
 * Stage 14 Tour de France, Bruno Cenghialta
 * Stage 15 Tour de France, Moreno Argentin
 * Stage 16 Tour de France, Marco Lietti
 * Coppa Bernocchi, Giorgio Furlan
 * Coppa Agostoni, Davide Cassani
 * Giro dell'Emilia, Davide Cassani
 * Milano–Torino, Davide Cassani


 * 1992
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour Méditerranéen, Rolf Gölz
 * Stages 1 & 5, Rolf Gölz
 * Giro di Campania, Davide Cassani
 * Stage 8 Paris–Nice, Adriano Baffi
 * Stage 2 Critérium International, Giorgio Furlan
 * La Flèche Wallonne, Giorgio Furlan
 * Overall Giro di Calabria, Marco Saligari
 * Overall Hofbrau Cup, Alberto Elli
 * Stage 2, Alberto Elli
 * Stage 3a, Rolf Sørensen
 * Stage 13 Giro d'Italia, Giorgio Furlan
 * Stage 15 Giro d'Italia, Marco Saligari
 * Stage 4 Tour de Luxembourg, Alberto Elli
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Suisse, Giorgio Furlan
 * Stage 2, Giorgio Furlan
 * Stage 12 Tour de France, Rolf Järmann
 * Paris–Brussel, Rolf Sørensen
 * Linz Criterium, Adriano Baffi


 * 1993
 * Stage 1 Critérium International, Pascal Richard
 * Stage 9 Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda, Fabio Casartelli
 * Amstel Gold Race, Rolf Järmann
 * GP Industria & Artigianato, Marco Saligari
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Romandie, Pascal Richard
 * Stage 3, Pascal Richard
 * Stage 7 Giro d'Italia, Bjarne Riis
 * Stage 9 Giro d'Italia, Giorgio Furlan
 * Stage 15 Giro d'Italia, Davide Cassani
 * Stage 17 Giro d'Italia, Marco Saligari
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Suisse, Marco Saligari
 * Stage 2, Giorgio Furlan
 * Stage 7, Rolf Järmann
 * Stage 8, Pascal Richard
 * Stage 7 Tour de France, Bjarne Riis
 * Coppa Agostoni, Davide Cassani
 * Giro di Lombardia, Pascal Richard