Skil-Sem (cycling team)
Encyclopedia
Skil-Sem was a French
professional cycling team
which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire
team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly
, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric Caritoux
, also won the Vuelta a España
in 1984. The team was directed by Jean de Gribaldy
.
, a manufacturer of small power tools, became main sponsor of the Sem-France Loire team, directed by Jean de Gribaldy
. As a member of Sem-France Loire, Kelly had twice won Paris–Nice and had taken two maillot verts in the Tour de France
. Kelly also won the Giro di Lombardia for the team in 1983.
During the 1984 season the team was called Skil-Sem-Mavic-Reydel and was directed by de Gribaldy and Christian Rumeau. Kelly dominated racing that spring and won 33 times in total. He won, amongst others, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Blois–Chaville, the GP Ouest-France
and the GP Fourmies. Also that Spring, Eric Caritoux
won the Vuelta a España
. Earlier in the season, he had won the stage to Mont Ventoux
in Paris–Nice (and Kelly won the overall) but the team did not enter the Vuelta a España
with high ambitions. Caritoux won by six seconds.
The following year, several of the smaller co-sponsors changed and the team was called Skil-Reydel-Sem. During 1985, Kelly won Paris–Nice, the Giro di Lombardia, finished fourth in the 1985 Tour de France
and won the maillot vert. Gerrie Knetemann
won the Amstel Gold Race
and Jean-Claude Leclercq became French
road race champion. At the end of 1985, de Gribaldy found a new sponsor to replace Skil
. Kas
, a Spanish
maker of soft drinks which had sponsored a team in the 1970s became the main sponsor.
The bikes used by the team had a Vitus
979 aluminium or a Vitus carbon fibre frame, both labelled "de Gribaldy", with Mavic
components.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
professional cycling team
Cycling team
A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races whether recreational or professional - and the supporting personnel...
which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire
Sem-France Loire
The Sem-Loire France cycling team was a French professional cycling team that existed for four years from 1980 to 1983. Although a small team, directeur sportif Jean de Gribaldy directed the team to success in various classic races and in stage races such as Paris–Nice and the Tour de France as...
team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly
Seán Kelly (cyclist)
John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...
, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric Caritoux
Éric Caritoux
Éric Caritoux is a French former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España in 1984 and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989...
, also won the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
in 1984. The team was directed by Jean de Gribaldy
Jean de Gribaldy
Jean de Gribaldy was a French road cyclist and directeur sportif.-Biography:Born in Besançon, former professional racing cyclist from 1945 to 1954, Jean de Gribaldy began a successful career as a directeur sportif in the mid-1960s .Called le Vicomte , he discovered Sean Kelly, Joaquim Agostinho...
.
History
In 1984, SkilSkil
Skil is a brand of power handtools produced by Robert Bosch GmbH. The line traces its heritage to the invention of the portable circular saw, marketed as a Skilsaw. The Model 77 which evolved from it set the industry standard for handheld worm-and-drive circular saws and remains in production...
, a manufacturer of small power tools, became main sponsor of the Sem-France Loire team, directed by Jean de Gribaldy
Jean de Gribaldy
Jean de Gribaldy was a French road cyclist and directeur sportif.-Biography:Born in Besançon, former professional racing cyclist from 1945 to 1954, Jean de Gribaldy began a successful career as a directeur sportif in the mid-1960s .Called le Vicomte , he discovered Sean Kelly, Joaquim Agostinho...
. As a member of Sem-France Loire, Kelly had twice won Paris–Nice and had taken two maillot verts in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. Kelly also won the Giro di Lombardia for the team in 1983.
During the 1984 season the team was called Skil-Sem-Mavic-Reydel and was directed by de Gribaldy and Christian Rumeau. Kelly dominated racing that spring and won 33 times in total. He won, amongst others, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Blois–Chaville, the GP Ouest-France
GP Ouest-France
Grand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France is an elite cycle race held annually in late summer around a circuit based on the small Breton village of Plouay since 1931...
and the GP Fourmies. Also that Spring, Eric Caritoux
Éric Caritoux
Éric Caritoux is a French former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España in 1984 and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989...
won the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
. Earlier in the season, he had won the stage to Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
in Paris–Nice (and Kelly won the overall) but the team did not enter the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
with high ambitions. Caritoux won by six seconds.
The following year, several of the smaller co-sponsors changed and the team was called Skil-Reydel-Sem. During 1985, Kelly won Paris–Nice, the Giro di Lombardia, finished fourth in the 1985 Tour de France
1985 Tour de France
The 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to...
and won the maillot vert. Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship....
won the Amstel Gold Race
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
and Jean-Claude Leclercq became French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
road race champion. At the end of 1985, de Gribaldy found a new sponsor to replace Skil
Skil
Skil is a brand of power handtools produced by Robert Bosch GmbH. The line traces its heritage to the invention of the portable circular saw, marketed as a Skilsaw. The Model 77 which evolved from it set the industry standard for handheld worm-and-drive circular saws and remains in production...
. Kas
Kas
Kas is the brand name of soft drink produced by PepsiCo. It comes in grapefruit, orange , lemon , bitter , and apple flavors. Kasfruit juices are also offered in multiple flavors...
, a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
maker of soft drinks which had sponsored a team in the 1970s became the main sponsor.
The bikes used by the team had a Vitus
Vitus (bicycles)
Vitus is a French bicycle manufacturer best known for its steel cycle frame tubing, and its frames built with aluminium tubes joined to aluminium lugs by bonding - a construction method the company pioneered in the late 1970s . Compared to modern aluminium bicycle frames, early Vitus aluminium...
979 aluminium or a Vitus carbon fibre frame, both labelled "de Gribaldy", with Mavic
Mavic
Mavic is a French bicycle parts manufacturer, its name an acronym for Manufacture d'Articles Vélocipédiques Idoux et Chanel, founded by Charles Idoux and Lucien Chanel. The company is noted as a manufacturer of bicycle wheels. Mavic is based in Annecy, France...
components.
Notable riders
- Jean-Claude Bagot
- René BittingerRené BittingerRené Bittinger is a French former professional road bicycle racer.- Palmarès :1979*...
- Eric CaritouxÉric CaritouxÉric Caritoux is a French former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España in 1984 and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989...
- Sean KellySeán Kelly (cyclist)John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...
- Jean-Claude LeclercqJean-Claude LeclercqJean-Claude Leclercq is a French former professional road bicycle racer.- Palmarès :1985Jean-Claude Leclercq is a French former professional road bicycle racer.- Palmarès :1985...
- Gilles Mas
- Frédéric VichotFrédéric VichotFrédéric Vichot was a French professional road bicycle racer, who won one stage in the Vuelta a España and two stages in the Tour de France.- Palmarès :19801981...
- Gerrie KnetemannGerrie KnetemannGerrie Knetemann was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship....
- Jörg MüllerJörg Müller (cyclist)Jörg Müller is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Switzerland, who was a professional rider from 1985 to 1994...
Important victories
- Vuelta a EspañaVuelta a EspañaThe Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
General ClassificationGeneral ClassificationThe general classification in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races...
1984 (Caritoux) - Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
Points ClassificationPoints classificationThe points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning intermediate sprints. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and therefore is often known as the Sprint Classification;...
1985 Road Race Championship 1985 - Paris–Roubaix 1984
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège 1984
- Giro di Lombardia 1985
- Blois – Chaville 1984
- Amstel Gold RaceAmstel Gold RaceThe Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle race held in the southern part of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. Since 1989 it has been among the races included in season long rankings tables, as part of the UCI Road World Cup , the UCI ProTour , UCI World Ranking and from 2011 the UCI World Tour...
1985 - Paris–Nice 1984, 1985
- Critérium InternationalCritérium InternationalThe Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
1984 - Tour MéditerranéenTour MéditerranéenTour Méditerranéen is a professional road bicycle racing event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event...
1984 - Tour du Haut-Var 1984
- Grand Prix de Plouay 1984
- Paris–Bourges 1984
- Grand Prix d’Aix en Provence 1984
- GP Ouest-FranceGP Ouest-FranceGrand-Prix de Plouay Ouest-France is an elite cycle race held annually in late summer around a circuit based on the small Breton village of Plouay since 1931...
1984, 1985 - Vuelta al País Vasco 1984
- Tour de RomandieTour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
1985 - Nissan Classic 1985
- GP Fourmies 1985