# Renault (cycling team)

Renault (UCI team code: REN) was a French professional cycling team that existed from 1978 to 1985. The team cycled on and promoted Gitane racing bikes.

## History

The team was created in 1978 after the Renault auto group purchased the Gitane bicycle manufacturer and became the main sponsor of the Gitane–Campagnolo cycling team that was directed by former French cycling champion Cyrille Guimard and featured the promising young cyclist Bernard Hinault.
From 1978 to 1980, the team was known as Renault–Gitane but, from 1981 to 1985, the team was Renault–Elf. Elf being an oil company that was owned by the Renault auto group.
During this time the team with Bernard Hinault dominated the sport from 1978 to 1983 with four wins in the Tour de France, two wins in the Vuelta a España and two wins in the Giro d'Italia. Hinault won several smaller stage races as well as one day races which included Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Paris–Roubaix, Giro di Lombardia, the Amstel Gold Race and the 1980 World Cycling Championships.
Guimard signed several American riders which included future Tour de France winner Greg LeMond. LeMond made an immediate impression with his third-place finish behind Hinault in the 1981 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. Hinault left the team at the end of 1983 after Renault–Elf teammate Laurent Fignon took over the designated team leader after winning the 1983 Tour de France.
Greg LeMond added to the team's laurels by winning the 1983 World Championship. The following year Fignon finished high in the Giro d'Italia, and then went on to become the 1984 French National Champion and winner of the 1984 Tour de France.
The dominance of the team began to wane in 1985, with Fignon suffering from persistent knee injury and rising star Greg LeMond leaving the team for Hinault's La Vie Claire team. The highlight of the 1985 season was Marc Madiot's win in the cobbled classic Paris–Roubaix.
After the 1985 season, the Renault auto group retired from sponsoring in the peloton and the French supermarket Système U became the main sponsor of Guimard's team. The team continued to ride on Gitane bicycle frames, who were co-sponsors for the Système U team.

## Major wins
### 1978

    Overall Tour de France, Bernard Hinault
       Stages 8, 15 & 20, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Vuelta a España, Bernard Hinault
    Grand Prix des Nations, Bernard Hinault

### 1979

    Giro di Lombardia, Bernard Hinault
    La Flèche Wallonne, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Tour de France, Bernard Hinault
       Stages 2 (ITT), 3, 11 (ITT), 15 (ITT), 21 (ITT) 23 & 24, Bernard Hinault
       Stage 13, Pierre-Raymond Villemiane
    Giro di Lombardia, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    Grand Prix des Nations, Bernard Hinault

### 1980

    Paris–Camembert, Pierre-Raymond Villemiane
    Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Giro d'Italia, Bernard Hinault
       Stage 12, Yvon Bertin
       Stage 14, Bernard Hinault
       Stage 20, Jean-René Bernaudeau
    Prologue & Stages 4 & 5 (ITT), Bernard Hinault

### 1981

    Paris–Roubaix, Bernard Hinault
    Amstel Gold Race, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Tour de France, Bernard Hinault
       Prologue & Stages 7 (ITT), 16, 20 & 22 (ITT), Bernard Hinault
    Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Bernard Hinault

### 1982

    Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Giro d'Italia, Bernard Hinault
       Stage 11, Bernard Becaas
    Stages 12, 18 & 22 (ITT), Bernard Hinault
    Overall Tour de France, Bernard Hinault
       Prologue & Stages 14, 19 (ITT) & 21, Bernard Hinault
    Tour de l'Avenir, Greg LeMond
    Grand Prix des Nations, Bernard Hinault

### 1983

    La Flèche Wallonne, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Tour de France, Laurent Fignon
       Stage 5, Dominique Gaigne
       Stage 9, Philippe Chevallier
       Stage 21 (ITT), Laurent Fignon
    Overall Vuelta a España, Bernard Hinault
    Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Greg LeMond

### 1984

    Stage 10 Giro d'Italia, Martial Gayant
    Stage 20 Giro d'Italia, Laurent Fignon
    Overall Tour de France, Laurent Fignon
       Stage 2, Marc Madiot
       Stage 3a (TTT)
       Stages 6 (ITT), 15 (ITT), 17, 19 & 21 (ITT), Laurent Fignon
       Stage 7, Pascal Jules
       Stage 11, Pascal Poisson
       Stage 12, Pierre-Henri Menthéour
    Tour de l'Avenir, Charly Mottet

### 1985

    Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, Charly Mottet
    Paris–Camembert, Martial Gayant
    1985 Paris–Roubaix, Marc Madiot
    Grand Prix des Nations, Charly Mottet

## National and world champions
### 1978

    French National Road Race Championships, Bernard Hinault
    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, Jean-Yves Plaisance

### 1979

    French National Road Race Championships, Roland Berland
    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, André Wilhelm

### 1980

    World Road Race Championship, Bernard Hinault
    French National Road Race Championships, Pierre-Raymond Villemiane
    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, Alex Gerardin

### 1982

    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, Marc Madiot

### 1983

    World Road Race Championship, Greg LeMond
    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, Martial Gayant

### 1984

    French National Road Race Championships, Laurent Fignon
    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, Yvon Madiot

### 1985

    French National Cyclo-cross Championships, Yvon Madiot

## Notable riders

* Bernard Hinault
* Marc Madiot
* Laurent Fignon
* Greg LeMond
* Charly Mottet
* Vincent Barteau
* Éric Boyer
* Thierry Marie
* Hubert Arbès