Saeco (cycling team)

Saeco was the name of an Italian road bicycle racing team, sponsored by the company with the same name. They rode on Cannondale bicycles.

Saeco

Team information
Registered	Italy
Founded	1996 (1996)
Disbanded	Merged 2005
Discipline(s)	Road
Bicycles	Cannondale
Team name history
2003–2004 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996	Saeco Saeco-Longoni Sport Saeco Saeco-Valli & Valli Saeco-Cannondale Saeco-Cannondale Saeco-Estro Saeco-Estro-AS Juvenes San Marino

The company did not prolong the sponsorship for 2005, and the team was merged with the Lampre team, forming Lampre–Caffita, sponsored by Caffita.

Team history

In the 1990s the team was famous for Mario Cipollini's sprint train and his antics. One of their most memorable moments was Cipollini's 4 consecutive stage wins in the 1999 Tour de France. The image of Mario Cipollini approaching the TV camera right after a win to say, "Cannondale makes the best bikes!" propelled Cannondale's popularity among road racers.

The Saeco team is known for their pranks and antics. Cipollini's antics are legendary, including showing up to the stage start at the Tour de France dressed in a Julius Caesar-inspired toga complete with an olive wreath, riding on a carriage pulled by his teammates on bicycles. More recently, the entire Saeco team raced a stage of the 2003 Tour de France wearing a Legalize my Cannondale chaingang cycling kit to protest the UCI's lower bound on bike weight which means that their six13 prototype team bikes were underweight and required the installation of additional weight.

Major wins

1996

Italy Road Race Championships, Mario Cipollini

Coppa Colli Briantei Internazionale, Carlo Marino Bianchi

Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta, Massimiliano Lelli

Overall Tirreno - Adriatico, Francesco Casagrande

Stage 4, Francesco Casagrande

Overall Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, Francesco Casagrande

Stage 2, Francesco Casagrande

Stage 5b, Francesco Casagrande

Stage 2 Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5a Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana

Stage 3 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5a Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 6 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Points Classification Mario Cipollini

Stage 1, Silvio Martinello

Stage 4, Mario Cipollini

Stage 8, Mario Cipollini

Stage 11, Mario Cipollini

Stage 18, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

1997

Overall Giro d'Italia, Ivan Gotti

Stage 1, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2, Mario Cipollini

Stage 4, Mario Cipollini

Stage 10, Mario Cipollini

Stage 14, Ivan Gotti

Stage 22, Mario Cipollini

Overall Tirreno - Adriatico, Roberto Petito

Overall Giro di Romagna et Coppa Placci, Francesco Casagrande

Stage 1 Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5a Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana, Gian Matteo Fagnini

Stage 2 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 3 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 1 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

1998

Overall Giro del Trentino, Paolo Salvodelli

Stage 2, Paolo Salvodelli

GP Costa degli Etruschi Mario Cipollini

Stage 5 Giro d'Italia Mario Cipollini

Stage 7 Giro d'Italia Mario Cipollini

Stage 8 Giro d'Italia Mario Cipollini

Stage 10 Giro d'Italia Mario Cipollini

Stage 20 Giro d'Italia Gian Matteo Fagnini

Stage 22 Giro d'Italia Gian Matteo Fagnini

Stage 1a Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Mario Cipollini

Stage 2 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Mario Cipollini

Stage 3 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Mario Cipollini

Stage 4 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Mario Cipollini

Stage 5 Tour de France Mario Cipollini

Stage 6 Tour de France Mario Cipollini

1999

Switzerland Road Race Championships, Armin Meier

Italy Road Race Championships, Salvatore Commesso

Peperbus Profspektakel Zwolle, Mario Cipollini

Trofeo Manacor Mario Cipollini

La Poly Normande, Laurent Dufaux

Overall Giro del Trentino, Paolo Salvodelli

Stage 1, Paolo Salvodelli

Trofeo Laigueglia, Paolo Salvodelli

Trofeo Luis Puig, Mario Cipollini

Stage 3 Tirreno–Adriatico, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2 Giro d'Italia, Mario Cipollini

Stage 10 Giro d'Italia, Mario Cipollini

Stage 12 Giro d'Italia, Mario Cipollini

Stage 14 Giro d'Italia, Paolo Salvodelli

Stage 17 Giro d'Italia, Mario Cipollini

Stage 1 Volta a Catalunya, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2 Volta a Catalunya, Mario Cipollini

Stage 4 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

Stage 5 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

Stage 6 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

Stage 7 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

Stage 13 Tour de France, Salvatore Commesso

2000

Overall Tour de Romandie, Paolo Salvodelli

Prologue

Stage 3 Giro del Trentino, Paolo Salvodelli

Stage 18 Tour de France, Salvatore Commesso

2001

Criterium Bavikhoeve, Mario Cipollini

GP Costa degli Etruschi, Fabio Sacchi

Trofeo Laigueglia, Mirko Celestino

Points Classification, Volta a Portugal, Salvatore Commesso

Rund um die Hainleite, Christian Wegmann

Tour of Austria, Cadel Evans

Brixia Tour, Cadel Evans

Tre Valli Varesine, Mirko Celestino

Milano-Torino, Mirko Celestino

Stage 2 Tour Down Under, Fabio Sacchi

Stage 3 Tour Down Under, Alessio Galletti

Stage 1 Tirreno - Adriatico, Biagio Conte

Prologue Tour de Romandie, Paolo Salvodelli

Stage 2 Tour de Romandie, Paolo Salvodelli

Stage 5 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Stage 1 Bayern-Rundfahrt, Jörg Ludewig

Giro d'Italia Azzurri d'Italia classification Mario Cipollini

Stage 6, Mario Cipollini

Stage 9, Mario Cipollini

Stage 19, Mario Cipollini

Stage 21, Mario Cipollini

Stage 2a Rothaus Regio-Tour International, Biagio Conte

Stage 5 Rothaus Regio-Tour International, Biagio Conte

2002

Italy Road Race Championships, Salvatore Commesso

Giro d'Oro, Damiano Cunego

Giro del Medio Brenta, Damiano Cunego

Giro del Veneto, Danilo Di Luca

Trophy City 'Castelfidardo, Danilo Di Luca

GP Ind.Com.Art of Castelfidardo, Fabio Bags

Criterium d'Abruzzo, Salvatore Commesso

Stage 11, Giro d'Italia, Gilberto Simoni

Trophy Laigueglia, Danilo Di Luca

Overall Tour of Austria, Gerrit Glomser

Stage 4, Gerrit Glomser

Trofeo Matteotti, Salvatore Commesso

Overall Brixia Tour, Igor Astarloa

Stage 2a, Igor Astarloa

Stage 2b, Mirko Celestine

Stage 4 Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana, Danilo Di Luca

Stage 3 Tirreno - Adriatico, Danilo Di Luca

Stage 5 Tirreno - Adriatico, Danilo Di Luca

Stage 4 Bayern-Rundfahrt, Christian Wegmann

Stage 2 Vuelta a España, Danilo Di Luca

2003

World Road Championship, Igor Astarloa

Overall Giro d'Italia, Gilberto Simoni

Points Classification , Gilberto Simoni

Azzurri d'Italia classification, Gilberto Simoni

Stage 12, Gilberto Simoni

Stage 14, Gilberto Simoni

Stage19, Gilberto Simoni

Overall Giro del Trentino, Gilberto Simoni

Stage 2, Gilberto Simoni

Giro dell'Appennino, Gilberto Simoni

Overall, Tour of Qinghai Lake, Damiano Cunego

Stage 7

US Pro Championship, Stefano Zanini

Milano-Torino, Mirko Celestino

Coppa Placci, Danilo Di Luca

Trofeo Città´ di Castelfidardom, Alessio Galletti

Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale, Mirko Celestino

La Flèche Wallonne, Igor Astarloa

GP Industria & Artigianato- Larciano, Juan Manuel Fuentes

Overall Tour of Austria, Gerrit Glomser

Stage 2, Gerrit Glomser

Stage 3, Gerrit Glomser

GP Llodio, Juan Manuel Fuentes

Tre Valli Varesine, Danilo Di Luca

Giro di Romagna et Coppa Placci, Fabio Sacchi

Stage 2 Tour Down Under, Fabio Sacchi

Stage 4 Tour of Qatar, Ivan Quaranta

Stage 3 Volta a la Comunidad Valenciana, Igor Astarloa

Stage 6 Tirreno - Adriatico, Danilo Di Luca

Stage 4 Deutschland Tour, Ivan Quaranta

Stage 14 Tour de France, Gilberto Simoni

Stage 1 Brixia Tour, Ivan Quaranta

Stage 1 Rothaus Regio-Tour International, Nicola Gavazzi

2004

Overall Giro d'Italia, Damiano Cunego

Stage 2, Damiano Cunego

Stage 3, Gilberto Simoni

Stage 7, Damiano Cunego

Stage 16, Damiano Cunego

Stage 18, Damiano Cunego

Giro di Lombardia

Overall, Giro del Trentino, Damiano Cunego

Stage 1, Damiano Cunego

Stage 2, Damiano Cunego

Giro dell'Appennino, Damiano Cunego

Giro del Trentino, Damiano Cunego

GP Industria & Artigianato, Damiano Cunego

Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie, Damiano Cunego

Memorial Marco Pantani, Damiano Cunego

Giro del Veneto, Gilberto Simoni

Raiffeisen GP, Andreas Matzbacher

Cup Placci, Leonardo Bertagnolli

Trophy Etna, Leonardo Bertagnolli

GP Ind.Com.Art of Castelfidardo, Damiano Cunego

GP Industria & Crafts-Larciano, Damiano Cunego

Trofeo Matteotti, Danilo Di Luca

Overall Brixia Tour, Danilo Di Luca

Coppa Agostoni, Leonardo Bertagnolli

GP Nobili Rubinetterie, Damiano Cunego

Overall Tour of Lombardy, Damiano Cunego

Stage 1 Bayern-Rundfahrt, Antonio Bucciero

Stage 4 Tour of Austria, Gerrit Glomser

National and world champions

1996

Road Race Mario Cipollini

1999

Road Race Salvatore Commesso

Road Race Armin Meier

2002

Road Race Salvatore Commesso

2003

World Road Race Igor Astarloa

External links

• Team Results on procyclingstats.com, sortable by year
• Team history on cyclingranking.com