BiciRace.com :: News :: November 2005

News :: November 2005

11 November 2005

The Green Machine: Crédit Agricole

Hushovd Wins Vuelta Stage 5, photo: © Unipublic

Famed Team Manager and Director Sportif, Roger Legeay, is keeping the green machine going strong. His baby, Crédit Agricole, stays with its tradition: the recognizable green kits and mostly foreign riders. The French sponsor has put their trust in Legeay with a renewed contract that continues until the end of 2008.

Roger Legeay is a respected name in cycling circles. The Frenchman was the brains behind the previous incarnations of Crédit Agricole: Z Team and GAN. With each team he has guided talented foreigners to success, through Legeay's ranks have passed Greg LeMond, Chris Boardman, Jonathan Vaughters, Stuart O'Grady, Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt.

Team at Giro, photo: Capture-The -Peloton.com

The current crop of foreigners with Legeay is just as impressive. Jaan Kirsipuu (36), Laszlo Bodrogi (28), Pietro Caucchioli (30), Saul Raisin (22) and Thor Hushovd (27) are all talented riders that will continue in the green colors for 2006. Hushovd (Norwegian) is a sprinting machine when on form, Caucchioli (Italian) is a talented stage racer and Raisin (American) is on the up-and-up.

Le Mevel Wins in Giro, photo: Giro d'Italia

The 2005 season went off fairly well for the boys in green. Caucchioli put in a top ten result at the Giro d'Italia and Christophe Le Mevel won an impressive stage after being away all day in an escape group (read the Giro Stage 16 report). At the Tour de France Christophe Moreau rode as best as he is able to become the highest-placed French rider (11th). But the icing on the cake for the French team was winning the Sprinter's Jersey (which matches the kit nicely). That honor was thanks to the Norwegian foreign powerhouse, Thor Hushovd.

The team's biggest loss going into the 2006 season will be Andrey Kashechkin. The Kazakh rider will transfer to Liberty Seguros-Würth to be at the side of his comrade, Alexander Vinokourov. But Legeay has found replacement riders (4 Frenchmen, 1 Kazakh, 1 Aussie) that should offer solid reinforcement from one-day to stage races.

TTT Warm Up, photo: Capture-The -Peloton.com

The team will keep rolling along steady with their Look machines and Shimano components. Crédit Agricole has had a long association with the French bike manufacturer. Look produces some of the coolest time trial bikes used in the peloton. Both the TT and road bikes use the newest carbon technology available.

Please see below for the complete (known) list of riders coming and going from Crédit Agricole.

New Green Riders:
Anthony Charteau (from Bouygues Telecom)
Christophe Edaleine (from Cofidis)
Dmitriy Fofonov (from Cofidis)
Jimmy Engoulvent (from Cofidis)
Mark Renshaw (from Française Des Jeux)
William Bonnet (from Auber '93)

Out of the Green Team:
Andrey Kashechkin (to Liberty Seguros-Würth)
Bradley Wiggins (to Cofidis)
Christophe Moreau (to Ag2R Prévoyance)
Cédric Hervé (to Bretagne-Jean Floc'h)
Damien Nazon (to ??)
Dmitriy Muravyev (to ??)
Eric Leblacher (to Française Des Jeux)
Geoffroy Lequatre (to Cofidis)
Sébastien Joly (to Française Des Jeux)

Current Riders:
Alexandre Botcharov
Benoît Poilvet
Christophe Le Mevel
Cyril Lemoine
Francesco Bellotti
Jaan Kirsipuu
Julian Dean
Kilian Patour
Laszlo Bodrogi
Mads Kaggestad
Nicolas Vogondy
Patrice Halgand
Pietro Caucchioli
Saul Raisin
Sébastien Hinault
Sébastien Portal
Thor Hushovd
Yannick Talabardon