Système U () was a French professional
cycling team
A cycling team is a group of cycle sport, cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle racing, bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important i ...
that existed from 1986 to 1988 and rode
Gitane
Gitane is a French bicycle industry, French manufacturer of bicycles based in Machecoul, France; the name "Gitane" means Romani people, gypsy woman. The brand was synonymous with French bicycle racing from the 1960s through the mid-1980s, sponsori ...
racing bikes. In 1989 the team was renamed Super U–Raleigh–Fiat and rode
Raleigh
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
bicycles. Super U was a chain of supermarkets owned by the
Système U group.
History
A Système U team existed during the 1984 season (see
Wolber–Spidel) with
Marcel Boishardy as manager and was a continuation of the Wolber–Spidel team from the 1983 season. This team included riders such as
Jean-René Bernaudeau and
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
n
MartÃn RamÃrez RamÃrez. The sponsor
Système U decided to take over the sponsorship of the highly successful
Renault–Elf–Gitane team when
Renault
Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
decided to retire from the peloton.
Renault–Elf–Gitane which was directed by former French cycling champion
Cyrille Guimard
Cyrille Guimard (born 20 January 1947) is a French former professional road racing cyclist who became a directeur sportif and television commentator. Three of his riders, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, and Lucien Van Impe, won the Tour de F ...
dominated the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
between 1978 and 1984. The 1986 season started well with
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon (; 12 August 1960 – 31 August 2010) was a French professional road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, as well as the Giro d'Italia in 1989. He held the title of FICP World No. 1 in 1989. Fignon came ...
winning the spring semi-classic
La Flèche Wallonne and
Thierry Marie
Thierry Marie (born 25 June 1963) is a French former cyclist. Marie often performed well in prologue stages: he won the Tour de France prologue three times in his career, and because of that he wore the yellow jersey in those three years, for ...
winning the prologue of the
1986 Tour de France.
Marie wore the yellow jersey as leader of the
general classification for several days as the team also won the
Team time trial
A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events).
The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ...
of that year's Tour but the best for the general classification was the 10th place of French Champion
Yvon Madiot.
The following year, the team achieved success with
Charly Mottet who won the
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré stage race and then wore the yellow jersey as leader of the
general classification for several days in the
1987 Tour de France and finished fourth overall. The team won the team classification of that Tour. Mottet also won the
Individual time trial
An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...
classic at the end of the season, the
Grand Prix des Nations.
In 1988, Fignon showed good form to win the
Milan–San Remo
Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
Classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
as well as the stage race the
Tour de l'Avenir while Mottet won the
Giro di Lombardia
The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...
. In 1989, the team was renamed Super U after one of the supermarkets that the Système U cooperative owned and Gitane cycles stopped their long association with Guimard's team. Raleigh cycles took their place and became the second sponsor as well.
The year marked Fignon's return to form with a second win in
Milan–San Remo
Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
, a win in the
1989 Giro d'Italia and the closest ever second place in the history of the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
in the
1989 Tour de France. During this time
Cyrille Guimard
Cyrille Guimard (born 20 January 1947) is a French former professional road racing cyclist who became a directeur sportif and television commentator. Three of his riders, Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, and Lucien Van Impe, won the Tour de F ...
was the main
directeur sportif with
Bernard Quilfen and
Jacques Cadicou being the other directeur sportifs. After Système U decided to withdraw sponsorship,
Castorama a French retailer of DIY and home improvement supplies took over as main sponsor making the
Castorama cycling team.
Notable riders
Riders who have won a
Grand Tour, held the leader's jersey of a Grand Tour, won a stage of a Grand Tour, won a
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...
or won a
national championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
. Their wins may have been at any time in their careers, not necessarily during their time in the Système U team:
*
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon (; 12 August 1960 – 31 August 2010) was a French professional road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, as well as the Giro d'Italia in 1989. He held the title of FICP World No. 1 in 1989. Fignon came ...
*
Charly Mottet
*
Éric Boyer
*
Yvon Madiot
*
Marc Madiot
*
Thierry Marie
Thierry Marie (born 25 June 1963) is a French former cyclist. Marie often performed well in prologue stages: he won the Tour de France prologue three times in his career, and because of that he wore the yellow jersey in those three years, for ...
*
Christophe Lavainne
*
Martial Gayant
*
Jacky Durand
*
Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (; born 3 April 1964), nicknamed ''The Eagle from Herning'' (), is a Denmark, Danish former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1996 Tour de France. For many years he was the owner and later manager of the Oleg Tink ...
*
Pascal Simon
Major wins
*
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...
General classification 1989
* Cyclo Cross Championship 1986, 1987, 1988
* Road Race Championship 1986, 1987
*
Milan–San Remo
Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...
1988, 1989
*
Giro di Lombardia
The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...
1988
*
La Flèche Wallonne 1986
*
Tour de l'Avenir 1988
*Paris–Bourges
General classification 1986
*
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx 1986
*
Grand Prix des Nations 1987, 1988, 1989
*
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré General classification 1987
*
GP Ouest-France 1986
*
Paris–Camembert 1988
*
Ronde van Nederland 1988, 1989
*
Tour du Haut Var 1989
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Systeme U
Defunct cycling teams based in France
Cycling teams established in 1986
Cycling teams disestablished in 1989