The Sem–Loire France cycling team was a French professional

cycling team A cycling team is a group of cycle sport, cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle racing, bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important i ...

that existed for four years from 1980 to 1983. Although a small team,

directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' (French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is s ...

Jean de Gribaldy Jean de Gribaldy (18 July 1922 – 2 January 1987) was a French road cyclist and directeur sportif. He rode in the Tour de France in 1947 and 1948. Biography Born in Besançon, Doubs ''département'', Gribaldi was a professional racing cycl ...

directed the team to success in various classic races and in

stage races A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages ...

such as

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlook ...

and the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

as well as the French championships.

History

The team formed under

when he took the French section of the successful Belgian team after Flandria withdrew sponsorship. De Gribaldy took Portuguese rider

Joaquim Agostinho Joaquim Fernandes Agostinho, OIH (7 April 1943 – 10 May 1984) was a Portuguese professional bicycle racer. He was champion of Portugal in six successive years. He rode the Tour de France 13 times and finished all but once,''International C ...

with him as team leader of his new team. With several sponsors, de Gribaldy formed a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

team called Puch–Sem–Campagnolo. In the team's first year, Agostinho finished fifth in the

1980 Tour de France The 1980 Tour de France was the 67th edition of the Tour de France. The total distance was over 22 stages. In the first half of the race, Bernard Hinault started out strong by winning the prologue and two stages. However, knee problems forced H ...

. The following year this team became known as Sem–France Loire when Sem took over as main sponsors. The highlight of the year for the team was when Serge Bucherie became road race champion of France. During the summer of 1981, Sean Kelly got in touch with his former

about joining the team. De Gribaldy organised the necessary sponsorship and 1982 marked the return of Kelly to de Gribaldy which immediately translated into success. Kelly, who had been riding in a Belgian team with a Belgian leader in

Eddy Planckaert Eddy Planckaert (born 22 September 1958 in Nevele) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Belgium. In 1988, Planckaert enjoyed perhaps his best year by capturing the green jersey (points competition) at the 1988 Tour de France and win ...

, was now made the team leader. With this support behind him, Kelly went to the prestigious

stage race A race stage, leg, or heat is a unit of a race that has been divided in several parts for the reason such as length of the distance to be covered, as in a multi-day event. Usually, such a race consists of "ordinary" stages, but sometimes stages ...

and won. Kelly continued that success by winning the

points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...

of the

1982 Tour de France The 1982 Tour de France was the 69th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 2 to 25 July. The total race distance was 22 stages over . It was won by Bernard Hinault, his fourth victory so far. Teams In response to the finish of the 1 ...

. In 1983, he again won Paris–Nice and the points classification of the

1983 Tour de France The 1983 Tour de France was the 70th edition of the Tour de France, run from 1 to 24 July, with 22 stages and a prologue covering a total distance of The race was won by French rider Laurent Fignon. Sean Kelly of Ireland won the points classi ...

, and, at the end of the season, triumphed in the

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in ...

, one of the five

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

races in cycling, his first. Sem was replaced as main sponsor in 1984 when the small power tool manufacturer

Skil SKIL Power Tools is a brand of electric power tools and accessories located in Naperville, Illinois, United States. It is a subsidiary of Chervon, a company based in Nanjing, China. The company now focuses more on the do-it-yourself consu ...

became the main sponsor making the Skil-Sem team.

Major wins

* Road Race Championship 1981 * Cyclo Cross Championship 1981 *

Paris–Camembert Paris–Camembert (also Paris–Camembert Trophée Lepetit or Paris–Camembert Lepetit) is a semi classic held annually in April. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The route of the race has varied over t ...

1981 *Dagmersellen, Cyclocross 1981 *

1982, 1983 *

1983 *

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Monuments'' of the European professional ...

1983 * Nice–Alassio 1982, 1983 *

Critérium International The Critérium International was a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring from 1932 until 2016, typically the last weekend of March. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932. For many years ...

1983 *

Grand Prix d'Isbergues Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

1983 *

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

1983

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sem-France Loire Defunct cycling teams based in France Cycling teams based in France Cycling teams established in 1980 Cycling teams disestablished in 1984