Peugeot (cycling team)
| Company type | Professional cycling team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cycling, Sports |
| Founded | 1903 |
| Founder | Peugeot company |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Racing bicycles, Cycling competition |
Peugeot was a French professional cycling team that both promoted and competed on Peugeot racing bicycles. According to cyclingranking.com, it holds the distinction of being the most triumphant cycling team ever, far surpassing the second-ranked Alcyon.
History
The Peugeot company started manufacturing bicycles in 1882 and quickly became involved in sponsoring riders. By the early twentieth century, a dedicated Peugeot cycling squad had been established. In 1903, Hippolyte Aucouturier achieved victories on Peugeot bikes at both Paris–Roubaix and Bordeaux–Paris. The team secured notable Tour de France wins with cyclists such as Louis Trousselier, René Pottier, and Lucien Petit-Breton. Additionally, Peugeot claimed second place overall in the 1912 Giro d'Italia. Prior to World War I, Belgian cyclist Philippe Thys added two more Tour de France titles to the team's record.
Following the economic difficulties after the war, Peugeot joined forces with other manufacturers in a consortium named La Sportive to maintain competitive cycling activities. After three years, Peugeot reformed its own team and celebrated a Tour de France victory in 1922 with Belgian Firmin Lambot. The squad frequently featured co-sponsors such as Wolber, Alcyon, Dunlop, Tedeschi, and Bianchi-Pirelli.
Between 1936 and 1955, the team competed under the name Peugeot-Dunlop. Yves Petit-Breton took on the role of directeur sportif starting in 1956. Concurrently, from 1948 to 1959, a Belgian outfit called Elvé-Peugeot also received sponsorship from Peugeot.
In 1958, Gaston Plaud became directeur sportif of Peugeot-BP, overseeing prominent cyclists including Charly Gaul, Pino Cerami, Ferdinand Bracke, Walter Godefroot, Tom Simpson, Jean-Pierre Danguillaume, and a young Eddy Merckx.
The iconic black-and-white checkerboard jersey was introduced by Team Peugeot in 1963 and remained its signature look until the team's dissolution in 1986. During this era, significant achievements included Tom Simpson's victories at Bordeaux–Paris (1963), Milan–San Remo (1964), as well as his world championship title and win at Giro di Lombardia (1965).
Eddy Merckx launched his professional career with Peugeot, securing wins at Milan–San Remo twice, Gent–Wevelgem, La Flèche Wallonne, a stage in the 1967 Giro d'Italia, and capturing the world road race championship in 1966. In 1967, Roger Pingeon triumphed in the Tour de France—then contested by national teams—and later claimed victory at the 1969 Vuelta a España. Ferdinand Bracke added another Vuelta win for Peugeot in 1971. From 1965 until BP was replaced by Esso in 1976, the team was known as Peugeot-BP Michelin.
Maurice De Muer assumed directeur sportif duties in 1975 and steered Bernard Thévenet to a Tour de France win over Eddy Merckx that same year; Thévenet repeated his Tour victory in 1977. Starting in 1982 until the team's end, Shell joined as co-sponsor, forming Peugeot-Shell-Michelin.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Peugeot recruited several English-speaking riders from Parisian amateur club Athletic Club de Boulogne Billencourt (ACBB), including Phil Anderson, Robert Millar, Stephen Roche, Sean Yates, and Allan Peiper. The team's final appearance in yellow came at the 1983 Tour de France with Pascal Simon before he withdrew due to injury. Their last Grand Tour effort occurred at the 1985 Vuelta a España with Robert Millar leading until Pedro Delgado surpassed him near the conclusion.
In its concluding season (1986), under manager Roger Legeay, Peugeot disbanded but was succeeded by Legeay’s new squad Vétements Z-Peugeot. This successor underwent several name changes—Z-Peugeot (1988–89), Z-Tomasso (1990), Z (1991–92), GAN (1993–96), and Crédit Agricole (1997–2008)—before ceasing operations in 2008. Notably, American Greg LeMond secured the Tour de France title in 1990 while riding for Z-Tomasso.
Throughout its history, other significant directeur sportifs included Leon Van der Hulst, Roland Berland, Robert Naeye, Roger Moreau, Jean Lecocq, Camille Narcy, Serge Beucherie, and Jean-François Guiborel.
Major victories
- Tour de France General classification titles secured in 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1913, 1914, 1922, 1967, 1975, and 1977
- Vuelta a España General classification triumphs achieved in 1948, 1969, and 1971
- Mountains classification at the Tour de France in 1984
- World Road Race Championship wins in 1957, 1965, and 1967
- World Cyclo-Cross Championship titles earned in 1961 and 1963
- National Road Race Championships won during 1907, 1908, 1920, and consecutively from 1973 to 1976
- Cyclo-Cross National Championships claimed in 1913, 1914, and 1960
- Road Race Championships attained between 1908 and 1910
- Road Race Championship victories spanning from 1965 to 1967, plus additional wins in 1971 and 1978
- Cyclo-Cross National Championships secured in both 1961 and 1963
- Road Race titles earned in the years 1957 and 1972
- National Road Race Championship win in 1936
- Cyclo-Cross Championships acquired in the years 1964, 1967, and 1968
- Road Race Championships achieved in the years 1914, 1924, as well as consecutively in 1948 and 1949
- Road Race Championship victory recorded in 1984
- Another Road Race Championship secured in the year 1948
- Additional Road Race Championship title earned in 1984
- Milan–San Remo victories recorded in the years 1907, 1914, 1918, and consecutively from 1964 to 1967
- Tour of Flanders win in the year 1973
- Paris–Roubaix triumphs achieved during the years 1904, 1905, 1907, 1913, and again in 1963
- Amstel Gold Race victory in the year 1983
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège wins secured in the years 1949, 1957, and again in 1967
- Grand Prix des Nations titles obtained in the years 1949 and again in 1962
- Paris–Tours victories accomplished during the years 1906, 1907, 1914, and again in both 1917 and later years of 1951 and1970
- Giro di Lombardia wins recorded for the years1907,1908,1917,and1951
- Paris-Nice victory achieved in the year1967