Festina (cycling team)

Festina was a former professional cycling team that was active in the professional peloton from 1989 to 2001. The team was sponsored by the Swiss watch manufacturer of the same name.

Beginnings
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-based 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 Acácio da Silva who would not win the sprints classification in that year's Vuelta a España.

The team signed Sean Kelly in 1992 who won Milan–San Remo, the first Classic victory for the team. The team entered its first Tour de France in 1992. The team manager and directeur sportifs at this time included Miguel Moreno Cachinero and Carlos Machin Rodriguez but Bruno Roussel joined the team in 1993 and would lead the team during its most successful years. Richard Virenque joined the team in 1993. The following year the team challenged Miguel Induráin in the 1994 Tour de France whereby teammates Luc Leblanc and Richard Virenque finished the race 4th and 5th overall and Festina won the team classification. 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.

Festina affair
Virenque was a favourite in the 1998 Tour de France but after team soigneur Willy Voet was caught by France-Belgium border officials with large quantities of doping products in his Festina team car, all members of the 1998 Tour team including the World Champion Laurent Brochard and Christophe Moreau were arrested and seven admitted to taking EPO and were ejected from the race. Team doctor Eric Rijkaert was also arrested. Rijkaert was team doctor from 1993 to 1998. Laurent Brochard, Christophe Moreau and Didier Rous confessed and were served a six-month suspension before returning to racing whereas Richard Virenque did not confess, releasing a book called Ma Vérité where he denied using doping products. However, on 24 October 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.

Post Festina affair
Due to these doping scandals, the team reorganised itself and sponsor Festina set up the Fondation d'Entreprise Festina which aimed to promote any actions that prevent doping taking place that are undertaken by institutions or individuals. After the Festina Affair Juan Fernández Martín, Yvon Sanquer, Michel Gros, Roberto Torres Toledano, Jacky Lachevere and Gerald Rue directed the team in its final years. The team achieved 3rd and 4th overall in the 2000 Tour de France with Joseba Beloki and Christophe Moreau and won the 2001 Vuelta a España with Ángel Casero before retiring from the sport at the end of the 2001 season. The sponsor Festina continued in professional cycling for many years more by being the official timekeeper at the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a España and several other stage-races.

Major wins

 * 1989
 * Stage 6 Vuelta a España, Luc Suykerbuyk
 * Criterium Bavel, Luc Suykerbuyk


 * 1990
 * Route Adélie de Vitré, Roberto Torres


 * 1991
 * National Cyclo-cross Championships
 * Giro del Veneto, Roberto Pagnin
 * Stage 2 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Mathieu Hermans


 * 1992
 * Milan–San Remo, Sean Kelly
 * Trofeo Luis Puig, Sean Kelly
 * Stage 3 Vuelta a Aragón, Andrei Zubov
 * Stage 13 Vuelta a España, Roberto Torres
 * Stage 10 Giro d'Italia, Roberto Pagnin
 * Stage 7 Tour de Suisse, Sean Kelly
 * Stage 9 Tour de Suisse, Roberto Pagnin
 * National Road Race Championships, Thomas Wegmüller
 * Giro del Lago Maggiore, Thomas Wegmüller
 * Circuito de Getxo, Mathieu Hermans


 * 1993
 * Stages 4 & 8 Vuelta a España, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Stage 14, Tour de France, Pascal Lino
 * Stage 3 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Profronde van Oostvoorne, Gert Jakobs
 * Stage 2 Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne, Thierry Marie
 * Criterium Ulvenhout, Sean Kelly


 * 1994
 * Ronde van Boxmeer, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Étoile de Bessèges, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Ronde van Pijnacker, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Stage 9 Vuelta a España, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné, Pascal Hervé
 * Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification Tour de France, Richard Virenque
 * Stage 2, Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Stage 11, Luc Leblanc
 * Stage 12, Richard Virenque
 * World Road Race Championships, Luc Leblanc
 * Boucles de l'Aulne, Richard Virenque
 * Trophée des Grimpeurs, Richard Virenque


 * 1995
 * National Cyclo-cross Championships
 * La Poly Normande, Richard Virenque
 * Jersey violet.svg Overall Vuelta a Burgos, Laurent Dufaux
 * Jersey orange.svg Overall Route du Sud, Laurent Dufaux
 * Gent–Wevelgem, Lars Michaelsen
 * Stages 4 & 6 Critérium du Dauphiné, Richard Virenque
 * Stages 7 Critérium du Dauphiné, Fabian Jeker
 * Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification Tour de France, Richard Virenque
 * Stage 15, Richard Virenque


 * 1996
 * National Cyclo-cross Championships, Emmanuel Magnien
 * Overall Vuelta Ciclista de Chile, Christophe Moreau
 * 🇫🇮 National Road Race Championships, Joona Laukka
 * Escalada a Montjuïc, Fabian Jeker
 * La Poly Normande, Laurent Brochard
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour du Limousin, Laurent Brochard
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour du Haut Var, Bruno Boscardin
 * Stage 7 Paris–Nice, Bruno Boscardin
 * Stage 6 Giro d'Italia Pascal Hervé
 * Stage 4 Critérium du Dauphiné, Richard Virenque
 * Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification Tour de France, Richard Virenque
 * Stages 17 & 19, Laurent Dufaux
 * National Hill climb Championships, Laurent Dufaux
 * Giro del Piemonte, Richard Virenque


 * 1997
 * Overall Vuelta Ciclista de Chile, Patrice Halgand
 * Jersey yellow.svg Étoile de Bessèges, Patrice Halgand
 * La Poly Normande, Richard Virenque
 * Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia, Laurent Lefèvre
 * GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, Richard Virenque
 * Stage 7 Giro d'Italia, Marcel Wüst
 * Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification Tour de France, Richard Virenque
 * Stage 9, Laurent Brochard
 * Stage 14, Richard Virenque
 * Stage 17, Anthony Neil Stephens
 * Stage 18, Didier Rous
 * Coppa Bernocchi, Gianluca Bortolami
 * Stages 2, 3 & 5 Vuelta a España, Marcel Wüst
 * World Road Race Championships, Laurent Brochard
 * Giro del Piemonte, Gianluca Bortolami


 * 1998
 * Overall Vuelta Ciclista de Chile, Marcel Wüst
 * Grand Prix du Midi Libre, Laurent Dufaux
 * Escalada a Montjuïc, Fabian Jeker
 * GP Chiasso, Gianluca Bortolami
 * Stage 5b Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme, Alex Zülle
 * Stage 3 Critérium International, Christophe Moreau
 * Stage 3 Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, Pascal Hervé
 * Trophée des Grimpeurs, Pascal Hervé
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Romandie, Laurent Dufaux
 * Prologue, Stages 1 & 3, Laurent Dufaux
 * Stage 4b, Alex Zülle
 * Prologue, Stages 6 & 15 Giro d'Italia, Alex Zülle
 * Circuito de Getxo, Marcel Wüst
 * Stage 6 Critérium du Dauphiné, Richard Virenque
 * GP Ouest France-Plouay, Pascal Hervé
 * Stages 14 & 17 Vuelta a España, Marcel Wüst
 * Stage 21 Vuelta a España, Alex Zülle


 * 1999
 * A Travers le Morbihan, Patrice Halgand
 * Stage 1 Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme, Marcel Wüst
 * Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan, Patrice Halgand
 * Stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné, Laurent Madouas
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne, Christophe Moreau
 * Stage 4, Christophe Moreau
 * Stages 4, 5, 6 & 7 Vuelta a España, Marcel Wüst
 * Stage 9, Vuelta a España, Laurent Brochard
 * National Time Trial Championships, Jonathan Hall


 * 2000
 * Profronde van Surhuisterveen, Marcel Wüst
 * Escalada a Montjuïc, Fabian Jeker
 * Jersey red.svg Overall Vuelta Ciclista Asturias, Joseba Beloki
 * Stage 3b Tour de Romandie, Joseba Beloki
 * Jersey yellow.svg Overall Deutschland Tour, David Plaza Romero
 * Stage 6, Marcel Wüst
 * Stage 7, David Plaza Romero
 * Stage 3 Tour de Suisse, Wladimir Belli
 * Stage 5 Tour de France, Marcel Wüst
 * GP Città di Camaiore, Wladimir Belli
 * Stage 5 Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne, Stéphane Augé


 * 2001
 * Overall Vuelta Ciclista de Chile, David Plaza Romero
 * Stage 2 Étoile de Bessèges, Steffen Radochla
 * Stage 5 Étoile de Bessèges, Florent Brard
 * Cholet-Pays de la Loire, Florent Brard
 * Stage 3 Tour de Romandie, David Plaza Romero
 * Jersey yellow-bluebar.svg Overall Critérium du Dauphiné, Christophe Moreau
 * National Time Trial Championship, Florent Brard
 * Prologue Tour de France, Christophe Moreau
 * Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia, David Clinger
 * Jersey gold.svg Overall Vuelta a España, Ángel Casero
 * Paris–Bourges, Florent Brard

Notable riders

 * Acácio da Silva
 * Sean Kelly
 * Abraham Olano
 * Steven Rooks
 * Richard Virenque
 * Jean-Paul van Poppel
 * Thierry Marie
 * Pascal Lino
 * Luc Leblanc
 * Lars Michaelsen
 * Laurent Brochard
 * Emmanuel Magnien
 * Christophe Bassons
 * Patrice Halgand
 * Christophe Moreau
 * Didier Rous
 * Anthony Neil Stephens
 * Marcel Wüst
 * Joseba Beloki
 * Ángel Casero
 * Alex Zülle