Alfa Lum cycling team
Encyclopedia
The Italian company of Alfa Lum, an aluminium door and windows manufacturer sponsored a professional cycling team
for two periods of time. Firstly for the three seasons between 1982 and 1984 and then for three more seasons between 1988 and 1990. The team is best remembered for introducing many successful riders from the former Soviet Union
in 1989 and 1990. The team rode in a riding kit of distinctive red and white horizontal stripes.
manufacturers Olmo
where brought on board as co-sponsors and Spanish rider Marino Lejarreta
who had won the 1982 edition of the Vuelta a España
was introduced to the squad as team leader. Marino brought along his brother Ismael to the team. In 1983 Marino Lejarreta finished second in the Vuelta a España for the Alfa Lum-Olmo team, in 1984 the team were invited to ride the Giro d'Italia
and Lejarreta finished 4th overall and took a stage win. However at the end of the 1984 season Alfa Lum decided to pull out of cycling sponsorship and had a three-year hiatus from the sport before returning in 1988.
who had won a stage of the Volta a Catalunya the previous season and had some good placings in other highly ranked races. Fondriest performed beyond all expectations in 1988 culminating when he surprisingly won the World Championship
Road Race in Ronse
, Belgium in August. Fondriest also won stages in Tirreno–Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse
, as well as the GP Prato for the team that year.
At the end of 1988, Fondriest not unsurprisingly left Alfa Lum to join the Del Tongo team and the rest of the Italians also departed, leaving Alfa Lum to completely rebuild for 1989. They did this by importing fifteen riders from the Soviet Union which had decided to lift its ban on riders turning professional. This turned out to be an inspired action by Alfa Lum as riders such as the veteran Sergei Sukhoruchenkov
, the 1980 Olympic road race champion were brought into the squad. However there were many younger riders who performed admirably and went on to have much success riding for western European teams.
The team rode in 1989 and 1990 with it Soviet riders and introduced riders such as Andrei Tchmil
, Piotr Ugrumov
, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
, Viktor Klimov, Dimitri Konyshev
, Vladimir Poulnikov
, Ivan Ivanov to the sport. Over the two years the team had much success and surprised the cycling world. Klimov held the leaders jersey for five days in the 1990 Vuelta a Espana. Poulnikov finished fourth overall in the 1990 Giro d’Italia. Asiat Saitov won a stage in the 1990 Vuelta, Konyshev finished second in the 1989 World Championships Road Race in Chambéry, France.
At the end of 1990 Alfa Lum left cycling sponsorship and the team folded. Many of the riders made moves to bigger teams and had outstanding success in the years to come. Poulnikov and Abdoujaparov moved to Carrera, with “Abdou” taking the Green jersey
in the Tour de France
in 1991, 1993 and 1994. Ugroumov moved to the Spanish team SEUR along with Klimov and Ivanov, Ugroumov won two Alpine stages in the 1994 Tour de France
and finished second to Miguel Indurain
in the 1993 Giro d’Italia. Konyshev moved to the Dutch squad TVM
and had an outstanding career in one day races. Andrei Tchmil went to ride for Belgian teams and became one of the top one day riders of the 1990s, winning Paris–Roubaix (1994), Milan – San Remo (1999) and the Ronde van Vlaanderen (2000).
and Edita Pučinskaitė
in the squad as team leaders. Somarriba took the overall at the Grande Boucle
while Pučinskaitė took second in the same race. In 2001 Mari Holden
joined Somarriba as team leader as Pučinskaitė left. In 2002 Alfa Lum reduced their commitment to women's cycling becoming a co-sponsor and then leaving the sport completely at the end of that season.
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...
for two periods of time. Firstly for the three seasons between 1982 and 1984 and then for three more seasons between 1988 and 1990. The team is best remembered for introducing many successful riders from the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1989 and 1990. The team rode in a riding kit of distinctive red and white horizontal stripes.
First Phase 1982 to 1984
The team was formed in 1982 with Alfa Lum as the main sponsor, it was a modest team which consisted of mainly Italian riders along with the Australian Micheal Wilson and the Swede Anders Adamsson. In 1983 the team was strengthened considerably as Italian bicycleBicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
manufacturers Olmo
Olmo
-People:*Antonio Olmo , Spanish footballer*Giuseppe Olmo , Italian road bicycle racer*Harold Olmo , the pioneering viticulturist*Olmo Doosje , a Dutch master...
where brought on board as co-sponsors and Spanish rider Marino Lejarreta
Marino Lejarreta
Marino Lejarreta Arrizabalaga is a retired Spanish professional road racing cyclist. His biggest victory was capturing the 1982 Vuelta a España, a Grand Tour stage race, and he is the inaugural and record three-time winner of the Clásica de San Sebastián , which is now considered a one-day classic...
who had won the 1982 edition of 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...
was introduced to the squad as team leader. Marino brought along his brother Ismael to the team. In 1983 Marino Lejarreta finished second in the Vuelta a España for the Alfa Lum-Olmo team, in 1984 the team were invited to ride the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and Lejarreta finished 4th overall and took a stage win. However at the end of the 1984 season Alfa Lum decided to pull out of cycling sponsorship and had a three-year hiatus from the sport before returning in 1988.
Second Phase 1988 to 1990
Alfa Lum returned to cycling sponsorship in 1988, taking over the former Ecoflam team when the sponsors pulled out at the end of 1987. The rising star of the team was 23 year old Maurizio FondriestMaurizio Fondriest
Maurizio Fondriest is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist.-Career:Born in Cles, Trentino, Fondriest turned professional in 1987 with the Ecoflam team. He subsequently rode for Alfa-Lum in 1988, winning the World Cycling Championships along with stages in the Tour de Suisse and...
who had won a stage of the Volta a Catalunya the previous season and had some good placings in other highly ranked races. Fondriest performed beyond all expectations in 1988 culminating when he surprisingly won the World Championship
UCI Road World Championships
The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale...
Road Race in Ronse
Ronse
Ronse is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Ronse proper.- Early settlements to 14th century :...
, Belgium in August. Fondriest also won stages in Tirreno–Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, as well as the GP Prato for the team that year.
At the end of 1988, Fondriest not unsurprisingly left Alfa Lum to join the Del Tongo team and the rest of the Italians also departed, leaving Alfa Lum to completely rebuild for 1989. They did this by importing fifteen riders from the Soviet Union which had decided to lift its ban on riders turning professional. This turned out to be an inspired action by Alfa Lum as riders such as the veteran Sergei Sukhoruchenkov
Sergei Sukhoruchenkov
Sergei Nikolaevich Sukhoruchenkov is a former Soviet cyclist and Olympic Champion. He won gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, on the Individual Road Race....
, the 1980 Olympic road race champion were brought into the squad. However there were many younger riders who performed admirably and went on to have much success riding for western European teams.
The team rode in 1989 and 1990 with it Soviet riders and introduced riders such as Andrei Tchmil
Andrei Tchmil
Andrei Tchmil is a retired professional road bicycle racer. His family moved to Ukraine during the days of the Soviet Union. He started cycling and showed enough talent to be moved to a cycling school in Moldova...
, Piotr Ugrumov
Piotr Ugrumov
Piotr Ugrumov is a former Russian professional road racing cyclist who participated for Latvia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, though he was a part of the Russian delegation at the 1996 Summer Olympics. His career as a professional lasted from 1989 to 1999, he had ten victories...
, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
Djamolidine Abdoujaparov is a former professional road racing cyclist from Uzbekistan. Abdoujaparov was a sprinter, nicknamed "The Tashkent Terror" as he was so ferocious in the sprints...
, Viktor Klimov, Dimitri Konyshev
Dimitri Konyshev
Dimitri Konyshev is a Russian former road bicycle racer.-Palmarès:1989...
, Vladimir Poulnikov
Vladimir Poulnikov
Vladimir Pulnikov is a Ukrainian former road racing cyclist.He debuted in the amateur categories for Soviet Union...
, Ivan Ivanov to the sport. Over the two years the team had much success and surprised the cycling world. Klimov held the leaders jersey for five days in the 1990 Vuelta a Espana. Poulnikov finished fourth overall in the 1990 Giro d’Italia. Asiat Saitov won a stage in the 1990 Vuelta, Konyshev finished second in the 1989 World Championships Road Race in Chambéry, France.
At the end of 1990 Alfa Lum left cycling sponsorship and the team folded. Many of the riders made moves to bigger teams and had outstanding success in the years to come. Poulnikov and Abdoujaparov moved to Carrera, with “Abdou” taking the Green jersey
Green jersey
The green jersey is a term used in road bicycle racing and Grand Tour stage races in particular. The green jersey is a distinctive racing jersey worn by the leader in a subsidiary competition....
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...
in 1991, 1993 and 1994. Ugroumov moved to the Spanish team SEUR along with Klimov and Ivanov, Ugroumov won two Alpine stages in the 1994 Tour de France
1994 Tour de France
The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994...
and finished second to Miguel Indurain
Miguel Indurain
Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He won five consecutive Tour de Frances from 1991 and 1995, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour...
in the 1993 Giro d’Italia. Konyshev moved to the Dutch squad TVM
TVM (cycling team)
TVM was a Dutch road bicycle racing team. It folded in 2000, two years after suffering a doping scandal. Farm Frites continued as a sponsor in 2001 with the new team, .-Names:-Riders:...
and had an outstanding career in one day races. Andrei Tchmil went to ride for Belgian teams and became one of the top one day riders of the 1990s, winning Paris–Roubaix (1994), Milan – San Remo (1999) and the Ronde van Vlaanderen (2000).
Women's Cycling
Alfa Lum have been involved in sponsoring women's professional cycling. In the year 2000 the team had Joane SomarribaJoane Somarriba
Joane Somarriba Arrola is a former Spanish cyclist.She won the Grande Boucle, at the time the most prestigious stage race for women, in 2000, 2001 and 2003. She also achieved a time trial victory at the 2003 World Championships in Hamilton, Canada...
and Edita Pučinskaitė
Edita Pucinskaite
Edita Pučinskaitė is a Lithuanian racing cyclist. For many years, she has been one of the top competitors in women's racing on the international level with a victory in the World Road Race Championships in 1999 and several very high finishes in major tours, World Championship competition and on...
in the squad as team leaders. Somarriba took the overall at the Grande Boucle
Grande Boucle
The Grande Boucle, formerly known as the Tour Cycliste Féminin, or simply Tour Féminin, is one of the Grand Tours of women's cycle races. Grande Boucle means "great loop" and describes the individual stages which form a circuit around France....
while Pučinskaitė took second in the same race. In 2001 Mari Holden
Mari Holden
Mari Kim Holden is an American cycle racer. She won the world time trial championship in 2000 after winning a silver medal in the Olympic Games time trial in Sydney, Australia. She also won six U.S. championships, becoming the first American woman to win three consecutive U.S...
joined Somarriba as team leader as Pučinskaitė left. In 2002 Alfa Lum reduced their commitment to women's cycling becoming a co-sponsor and then leaving the sport completely at the end of that season.