Team Bianchi
Encyclopedia
Team Bianchi was a makeshift team that was put together from the remnants of the Coast team in time for the 2003 Tour de France
.
Team Coast had been unable to pay the salaries of their riders and Bianchi took over the team and the role of title sponsor. Coast had recently signed Jan Ullrich
following his departure from after his drunk driving and amphetamine
use. During the 2003 tour while riding for Bianchi, Ullrich placed second to Lance Armstrong
by just 61 seconds, his closest ever margin in any of Armstrong's seven victorious years. In the process, Ullrich also managed to upstage Alexander Vinokourov
, Telekom's highest-placed rider, who finished third.
Team Bianchi had planned to continue on as a professional road racing team. However, Ullrich's return to his former team Telekom (later T-Mobile, now ), as well as the departure of Ángel Casero
led to the demise of Team Bianchi as they now lacked the star power necessary to justify a top tier team.
2003 Tour de France
The 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...
.
Team Coast had been unable to pay the salaries of their riders and Bianchi took over the team and the role of title sponsor. Coast had recently signed Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport...
following his departure from after his drunk driving and amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
use. During the 2003 tour while riding for Bianchi, Ullrich placed second to Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
by just 61 seconds, his closest ever margin in any of Armstrong's seven victorious years. In the process, Ullrich also managed to upstage Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Vinokourov
Alexander Nikolaevich Vinokourov, also written Alexandre Vinokourov, is an ethnically Russian Kazakhstani professional road bicycle racer who currently competes with the UCI ProTeam Astana...
, Telekom's highest-placed rider, who finished third.
Team Bianchi had planned to continue on as a professional road racing team. However, Ullrich's return to his former team Telekom (later T-Mobile, now ), as well as the departure of Ángel Casero
Angel Casero
Ángel Luis Casero Moreno is a retired Spanish road bicycle racer who raced professionally between 1994 and 2005....
led to the demise of Team Bianchi as they now lacked the star power necessary to justify a top tier team.
Riders
| Name | Date of birth | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Stefan Adamsson | 03.01.1978 | |
| Daniel Becke | 12.03.1978 | |
| Ángel Casero Angel Casero Ángel Luis Casero Moreno is a retired Spanish road bicycle racer who raced professionally between 1994 and 2005.... |
27.09.1972 | |
| Felix García Casas | 29.12.1968 | |
| Aitor Garmendia Arbilla | 03.03.1968 | |
| Fabrizio Guidi Fabrizio Guidi Fabrizio Guidi is an Italian former road bicycle racer. Guidi won over 40 races since he turned professional in 1995, including two stages in Giro d'Italia and three stages of 1998 Vuelta a España. He also won the Intergiro competition of Giro d'Italia in 1996, 1999 and 2000... |
13.04.1972 | |
| André Korff André Korff André Korff is a German professional road bicycle racer.He currently lives in Forchheim, Germany, with his wife and two children.- Palmares :* Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt - 1 stage * GP Tell - 1 stage... |
04.06.1973 | |
| Francisco Jose Lara Ruiz | 25.02.1977 | |
| Thomas Liese | 10.08.1968 | |
| David Plaza Romero | 03.07.1970 | |
| Steffen Radochla Steffen Radochla Steffen Radochla is a road bicycle racer from Germany, who turned professional in 2001.-Teams:*2001: Festina *2002: Team Coast *2003: Team Coast until 9 May... |
19.10.1979 | |
| Thorsten Rund | 25.02.1976 | |
| Raphael Schweda | 17.04.1976 | |
| Tobias Steinhauser Tobias Steinhauser Tobias Steinhauser is a former German cyclist. He is the brother-in-law of Jan Ullrich.Steinhauser lives together with his wife and three children in Scheidegg, Bavaria.... |
27.01.1972 | |
| Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport... |
02.12.1973 | |
| Malte Urban | 14.12.1974 | |
| Christoph Von Kleinsorgen | 14.07.1980 | |
| Thorsten Wilhelms | 31.07.1969 |