Festina (cycling team)

The Festina–Lotus at the 1993 Paris–Nice
Team information
UCI code	FES
Registered	Spain (1989–1992) Andorra (1993–1994, 1996) France (1995, 1997–2001)
Founded	1989 (1989)
Disbanded	2001
Discipline	Road
Key personnel
General manager	Miguel Moreno Cachinero (1989–1993) Bruno Roussel (1994–1998) Juan Fernández Martín (1999–2001)
Team name history
1989 1990–1992 1993–1999 2000–2001	Lotus–Zahor Lotus–Festina Festina–Lotus Festina
Festina (cycling team) jerseyJersey

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.

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.[1]

The team signed Sean Kelly in 1992 who won Milan–San Remo, the first Classic victory for the team.[2] 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.[3] 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.

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[4] and were ejected from the race.[5] 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[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9] 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.

1989 Stage 6 Vuelta a España, Luc Suykerbuyk Criterium Bavel, Luc Suykerbuyk 1990 Route Adélie de Vitré, Roberto Torres 1991  Spain 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   Switzerland 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 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  France National Cyclo-cross Championships La Poly Normande, Richard Virenque Overall Vuelta a Burgos, Laurent Dufaux 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 Mountains classification Tour de France, Richard Virenque Stage 15, Richard Virenque 1996  France National Cyclo-cross Championships, Emmanuel Magnien Overall Vuelta Ciclista de Chile, Christophe Moreau  Finland National Road Race Championships, Joona Laukka Escalada a Montjuïc, Fabian Jeker La Poly Normande, Laurent Brochard Overall Tour du Limousin, Laurent Brochard 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 Mountains classification Tour de France, Richard Virenque Stages 17 & 19, Laurent Dufaux   Switzerland National Hill climb Championships, Laurent Dufaux Giro del Piemonte, Richard Virenque 1997 Overall Vuelta Ciclista de Chile, Patrice Halgand 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 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 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 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  Australia National Time Trial Championships, Jonathan Hall 2000 Profronde van Surhuisterveen, Marcel Wüst Escalada a Montjuïc, Fabian Jeker Overall Vuelta Ciclista Asturias, Joseba Beloki Stage 3b Tour de Romandie, Joseba Beloki 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 Overall Critérium du Dauphiné, Christophe Moreau  France National Time Trial Championship, Florent Brard Prologue Tour de France, Christophe Moreau Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia, David Clinger Overall Vuelta a España, Ángel Casero Paris–Bourges, Florent Brard

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