Ariostea () was an Italian professional

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

team from 1984 to 1993. Its first team manager was Giorgio Vannucci; he was replaced in 1986 by

Giancarlo Ferretti Giancarlo Ferretti (born 16 October 1941 in Lugo) is the former manager of the now-disbanded Italian professional road bicycle racing team, Fassa Bortolo, sponsored by the Italian cement company of the same name. Fassa Bortolo was a top-ranked ...

, 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 The 1986 Giro d'Italia was the 69th running of the Giro d'Italia. The race started in Palermo, on 12 May, with a prologue and concluded in Merano, on 2 June, with a mass-start stage. A total of 171 riders from nineteen teams entered the 2 ...

Sergio Santimaria Sergio Santimaria (born 26 April 1957 in Vigevano) is an Italian former cyclist. Major results ;1981 :2nd Trofeo Matteotti ;1982 :2nd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore ;1983 :2nd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano The GP Industria & Artigiana ...

(1st stage, ''maglia rosa'' for one day) and

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

rider

Dag Erik Pedersen Dag Erik Pedersen (born 6 June 1959) is a retired Norwegian road racing cyclist with a long career as professional. He won 3 stages in the Giro d'Italia and he came 4th in the Road race in the 1981 World Championship. He was a member of Birkenes ...

(15th stage). The highest placed Ariostea rider in the general classification was

Alfio Vandi Alfio Vandi (born 7 December 1955) is an Italian former professional racing cyclist of the 1970s and 1980s. The highlight of his career was winning the Young rider Classification in the 1976 Giro d'Italia. He placed seventh overall in that Giro ...

, 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 Rolf Sørensen (born 20 April 1965) is a former Danish professional road bicycle racer. He is currently working as a cycling commentator and agent. Born in Helsinge in Denmark, Sørensen moved to Italy at the age of 17, where he has lived sin ...

who won Paris–Tours in 1990 and the

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

of 1992.

Moreno Argentin Moreno Argentin (born 17 December 1960) is an Italian former professional cyclist (from 1981 to 1994) and race director. Born in San Donà di Piave (Veneto), he won stages in the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de Suisse. Know ...

won the team its first "monument", the 1990

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and orga ...

, followed by a victory at the

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

. 1990 also saw the team's first

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

stage win (Argentin) and two more Girostages (

Adriano Baffi Adriano Baffi (born 7 August 1962) is a former Italian bicycle road racer. After his career as a rider, he became a team director. He is the son of Italian bicycle racer Pierino Baffi. Baffi was born in Vailate, Italy. He joined Luxembourg te ...

). In 1991, Argentin scored another double in Belgium, with wins in

and

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five '' Monuments'' of the European professional ...

Davide Cassani Davide Cassani (born 1 January 1961) is a former road cyclist and cycling commentator on Italian television from Italy. Now he works as manager for Italy national cycling team. He was born in Faenza. In 1982 he made his professional debut with ...

won three major classics in Italy (

Milano–Torino Milano–Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest classic race in the world. The ev ...

, Giro dell'Emillia and

Coppa Agostoni The Coppa Ugo Agostoni is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Lissone, Italy. The race is held in memory of Italian cyclist Ugo Agostoni, winner of prestigious classic Milan–San Remo, killed during World War II. It is also called ''G ...

), while Massimiliano Lelli won two Giro stages - finishing third overall. More success followed at the

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

in the yellow jersey as leader of the

general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulat ...

for four days. Ariostea dominated the 1992

with five stage wins and the general classification (Sørensen).

Giorgio Furlan Giorgio Furlan (born 9 March 1966 in Treviso) is an Italian former road bicycle racer, who currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Major results ;1986 : 1st Stage 4 Tour de Luxembourg ;1990 : 1st Road race, National ...

won the

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

, Rolf Gölz the

Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

. There was another stage win in the Giro, this time for

Marco Saligari Marco Saligari (born 18 May 1965 in Sesto San Giovanni) is a directeur sportif and former Italian road bicycle racer who raced during the 1990s. Since 2002, Saligari has served as manager of the Landbouwkrediet (formerly ''Colnago-Landbouwkredi ...

. Roberto Conti finished 9th in the general classification. In its final year, Ariostea was victorious in the

Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classic ...

(

Rolf Järmann Rolf Järmann (born 31 January 1966 in Arbon) is a retired road bicycle racer from Switzerland, who was a professional rider from 1988 to 1999. He twice won the Amstel Gold Race (1993 and 1998) during his career. He was the Swiss National Road R ...

Bjarne Riis Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (; born 3 April 1964), nicknamed ''The Eagle from Herning'' ( da, Ørnen fra Herning), is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France. For many years he was the owner and lat ...

won a Giro stage, as did Saligari, who was also the winner that year of the

. By far the most successful rider of the team this year was

Pascal Richard Pascal Richard (born 16 March 1964) is a French-speaking Swiss former racing cyclist. He is most notable as a former King of the Mountains winner at the Giro d'Italia and Olympic Games gold medalist. He won the Swiss National Road Race champio ...

of Switzerland. He won the

Giro del Lazio The Giro del Lazio is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Lazio, Italy. From 2005 to 2008, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing ...

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five ' Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in ...

, the

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...

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 :

Overall

Giro di Puglia The Giro di Puglia ( en, Tour of Apulia) was a road bicycle racing stage race. It consisted of three or four stages. It was first held in 1972, but last took place in 1998. Cycle races in Italy Recurring sporting events established in 197 ...

Silvano Contini Silvano Contini (born 15 January 1958) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. Career Professional from 1978 to 1990, his main successes were the 1982 Liège–Bastogne–Liège of 1982, the 1985 Grand Prix du Midi Libre and the 19 ...

Overall

GP du Midi-Libre The Grand Prix du Midi Libre (referred to as just Midi Libre) was a multiple-stage road cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation cou ...

::Stage 1,

Coppa Placci The Coppa Placci is a semi classic European bicycle race held between Imola, Italy and San Marino. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after Antonio Placci, a cyclist born in Imola ...

;1986 :Stage 1 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 15 Giro d'Italia,

;1987 :Stage 8

Alessandro Paganessi Alessandro Paganessi (born 31 January 1959) is an Italian former racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, m ...

;1988 :Stage 6 Settimana Siciliana,

:Stage 3 Giro d'Italia, Stephan Joho :Stages 1 & 9

, Stephan Joho :Stage 7

, Francesco Cesarini :Stage 1b Zürich, Stephan Joho :Stage 4 Tour of Denmark,

:Overall Schwanenbrau Cup, Bruno Cenghialta ::Stage 2,

;1989 :

Giro di Campania The Giro di Campania was a one-day road cycling race held annually in the region of Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , d ...

Luciano Rabottini Luciano Rabottini (born 23 January 1958) is an Italian former cyclist. He won the 1986 Tirreno–Adriatico, and rode in 9 editions of the Giro d'Italia. Major results ;1979 : 1st Coppa San Sabino ;1981 : 3rd Giro del Piemonte : 5th Giro di Lo ...

:Stage 7a Paris–Nice,

:Stages 2 & 3 Driedaagse van De Panne,

: GP Pino Cerami, Stephan Joho :Stage 6 Giro d'Italia, Stephan Joho :

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria ...

Criterium, Stephan Joho :

Coppa Bernocchi The Coppa Bernocchi is a European bicycle race held in Legnano, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 1919 the business magnate Antonio Bernocchi founded the Coppa Bernocchi (or Bernocchi Cup ...

: Omloop van de Vlasstreek,

: Six Days of Zürich,

;1990 :Overall Settimana Siciliana,

::Stage 1,

::Stage 5,

Trofeo Laigueglia The Trofeo Laigueglia is an early season road bicycle race held annually in Liguria, Italy. From 2005 to 2014, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is held about ten days after the opening to the Italian season, the G ...

:Stage 5 Paris–Nice,

: Giro dei Sei Comuni, Stephan Joho :

:Stage 2

Giro del Trentino The Tour of the Alps is an annual professional cycling stage race in Italy and Austria. First held in 1962, it was named Giro del Trentino ( en, Tour of Trentino) until 2016, and run over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region o ...

:Stages 11 & 18 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 9

:Stage 3

:Stage 2

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium ( nl, Ronde van België; french: Tour de Belgique) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Bet ...

:Stage 5b

, Stephan Joho :

:Stage 6

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of ...

, Marco Lietti :Overall Schwanenbrau Cup, Stephan Joho ::Stage 3, Stephan Joho :

Giro dell'Emilia The Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour, and since 2020 it's part of the UCI ProSeries calendar. The ...

Coppa Sabatini The Coppa Sabatini is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Province of Pisa, Italy. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing R ...

: Paris–Tours,

;1991 :

Young rider classification Giro d'Italia, Massimiliano Lelli ::Stage 8,

::Stages 12 & 16, Massimiliano Lelli :Stage 9

:Stage 2 (TTT)

:Stage 14

, Bruno Cenghialta :Stage 15

:Stage 16

, Marco Lietti :

;1992 :

Overall

, Rolf Gölz ::Stages 1 & 5, Rolf Gölz :

:Stage 8 Paris–Nice,

:Stage 2

Critérium International The Critérium International was a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring from 1932 until 2016, typically the last weekend of March. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932. For many years ...

:Overall Giro di Calabria,

:Overall

Hofbrau Cup The Schwabenbräu Cup (1988–1990), Hofbräu Cup (1992–1997) or Dekra Open (1999–2000) was a short professional multi-day cycling race held annually in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country i ...

Alberto Elli Alberto Elli (born 9 March 1964) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who wore the yellow jersey for 4 days in the 2000 Tour de France. Elli was called up late for the 2000 Tour de France, and after a group of 12 cyclists stayed away from th ...

::Stage 2,

::Stage 3a,

:Stage 13 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 15 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 4

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the World Tour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), th ...

Overall

::Stage 2,

:Stage 12

: Paris–Brussel,

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

Criterium,

;1993 :Stage 1

:Stage 9

Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda The Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda ( en, Lombardic Cycling Week) is an Italian cycle road race. In 2007, the race was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Road bicycle ...

Fabio Casartelli Fabio Casartelli (16 August 1970 – 18 July 1995) was an Italian cyclist and an Olympic gold medalist. He was killed in a crash on the descent of the Col de Portet d'Aspet, France, during the 15th stage of the 1995 Tour de France. Amateur ...

: GP Industria & Artigianato,

Overall

::Stage 3,

:Stage 7 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 9 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 15 Giro d'Italia,

:Stage 17 Giro d'Italia,

Overall

::Stage 2,

::Stage 7 ,

::Stage 8,

:Stage 7

References

External links

{{Giro d'Italia team classification winners Defunct cycling teams based in Italy Cycling teams based in Italy Cycling teams established in 1984 Cycling teams disestablished in 1993