# Carrera (cycling team)

Carrera was an Italian-based road bicycle racing team active from 1984 to 1996, named after sponsoring Italian jeans manufacturer Carrera. The team was successful in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France with three overall wins and several wins in the Points classification and Mountain Classifications.

## History
### Inoxpran

The Inoxpran cycling team began in 1979. The Inoxpran team achieved success with Italian Giovanni Battaglin who won in the period of a month and a half in 1981 two Grand Tours in with the 1981 Giro d'Italia and the 1981 Vuelta a España. Battaglin was the second rider in history to achieve this Giro-Vuelta double after Eddy Merckx who achieved the double in 1973. Roberto Visentini had been the Inoxpran team leader in 1983 when he finished second overall in the 1983 Giro d'Italia.

### Carrera

Carrera Jeans became the title sponsor in 1984 and Visentini finally won the Giro d'Italia in 1986. At the end of 1985 the team had signed Stephen Roche to perform for the team at the Tour de France. Roche had a poor season in 1986 but bounced back in 1987. When Roche won the Tour de Romandie just ahead of the 1987 Giro d'Italia, he became the number one favourite for the maglia rosa and wanted to be the team leader during the race, something that Visentini, an Italian with an Italian team and the defending champion of the event expected to be alone. This inter team rivalry came to a head during the race when Roche attacked Visentini. Roche went on to win the race and then the 1987 Tour de France. This was the only time that the Carrera team would win the Tour and it would be the last time the team won the Giro d'Italia. Roche left the team at the end of 1987 but returned to the team in 1992 for his last two seasons.
In 1989, Carrera manager Davide Boifava together with Luciano Bracchi, Francesco Boifava, Tacchella's family and Valentino Compagnoni founded Carrera Podium, a manufacturer of cycles. From 1990 on, the team rode on these Carrera bikes.
During this time, Claudio Chiappucci rose from being the domestique of Visentini and Roche during the 1987 Giro to the team leader. Chiappucci wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification during the 1990 Tour de France finishing the race second overall and famously battled Miguel Indurain in the 1992 Tour de France. Chiappucci won the Great Italian Classic Milan–San Remo for the team in 1991.
During the latter years of the team, a young Marco Pantani emerged as a contender for the Grand Tours during the 1994 season finishing on the podium in both the 1994 Giro d'Italia and the 1994 Tour de France. Pantani's success was hindered during the last two years of the Carrera team's existence. When Carrera stopped sponsoring a cycling team at the end of 1996, it was reported that manager Davide Boifava would be building a team around Marco Pantani with Mercatone Uno as the main sponsor. However Davide Cassani became the manager of that new team, taking with him as directeur sportifs Giuseppe Martinelli and Alessandro Giannelli and ten of the riders from Carrera including Pantani forming the Mercatone Uno team with whom Pantani would win the 1998 Tour de France and the 1998 Giro d'Italia. At the same time, Boifava started a team with Asics as the main sponsor and took with him five riders from Carrera including Claudio Chiappucci.

### Doping

The team doctor of the Carrera cycling team, Dr. Giovanni Grazzi, worked with Professor Francesco Conconi at the University of Ferrara in 1993. It was reported in the Rome-based newspaper, La Republica, in January 2000 that Conconi was involved with administering EPO to riders on the Carrera team. In March 2000 the Italian Judge Franca Oliva published a report detailing the conclusions of an investigation into a number of sports doctors including Professor Conconi. This official judicial investigation concluded that the riders of the Carrera team were administered EPO in 1993. The riders included Stephen Roche, Claudio Chiappucci, Guido Bontempi, Rolf Sørensen, Mario Chiesa, Massimo Ghirotto and Fabio Roscioli.
Files seized as part of the judicial investigation allegedly detail a number of aliases for former Tour de France, Giro d'Italia winner and World Champion Stephen Roche including Rocchi, Rossi, Rocca, Roncati, Righi and Rossini. In 1997, Claudio Chiappucci told prosecutor Vincenzo Scolastico that he had been using EPO since 1993, but later he recalled that statement.

## Major wins
### 1979

    Stage 7 Tour de Suisse, Giovanni Battaglin
    Mountains classification Tour de France, Giovanni Battaglin
    Coppa Placci, Giovanni Battaglin
    Coppa Agostoni, Giovanni Battaglin

### 1980

    Zambana di Trento, Giovanni Battaglin
    Stage 5 Giro d'Italia, Jørgen Marcussen
    Stage 18 Giro d'Italia, Giovanni Battaglin
    Coppa Placci, Giovanni Battaglin
    Chignolo Po, Giovanni Battaglin
    Milano–Torino, Giovanni Battaglin
    Quistello Criterium, Alfredo Chinetti

### 1981

    Stages 1 & 3 Vuelta a España, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 2 Vuelta a España, Alfredo Chinetti
    Stage 8b Vuelta a España, Giovanni Battaglin
    Overall Giro d'Italia, Giovanni Battaglin
       Stage 1a, Guido Bontempi
       Stage 19, Giovanni Battaglin

### 1982

    Stage 6 Settimana Ciclistica Bergamasca, Bruno Leali
    Stage 15 Giro d'Italia, Guido Bontempi
    Coppa Placci, Alfredo Chinetti

### 1983

    Stages 2 & 8 Giro d'Italia, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 22 Giro d'Italia, Roberto Visentini
    Giro del Piemonte, Guido Bontempi

### 1984

    Gent–Wevelgem, Guido Bontempi
    Prologue Giro del Trentino, Roberto Visentini
    Stage 13 Giro d'Italia, Roberto Visentini
    Stage 18 Giro d'Italia, Bruno Leali
    Stage 21 Giro d'Italia, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 1 Ruota d'Oro, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 2 Ruota d'Oro, Bruno Leali

### 1985

    Mountains classification Tour de Romandie, Beat Breu
    Overall Grabs–Voralp, Beat Breu
       Stage 1, Beat Breu
    Stage 9a (TTT) Tour de Suisse
    Stage 10 Tour de France, Jørgen Pedersen
    Martigny–Mauvoisin, Beat Breu
    Stage 5 Tour of Denmark, Guido Bontempi
    Giro del Lazio, Bruno Leali
    Switzerland National Hill Climb Championships, Beat Breu
    Oreno di Vimercate Cyclo-cross, Claudio Chiappucci

### 1986

    Stage 6 Paris–Nice, Jørgen Pedersen
    Overall Critérium International, Urs Zimmermann
       Stage 2, Urs Zimmermann
    Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria, Guido Bontempi
    Gent–Wevelgem, Guido Bontempi
       Stage 6 Giro d'Italia, Roberto Visentini
    Overall Critérium du Dauphiné, Urs Zimmermann
       Stage 5, Erich Mächler
    Overall Giro d'Italia, Roberto Visentini
       Points classification, Guido Bontempi
       Stages 7, 10, 11, 17 & 20, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 10 Tour de Suisse, Massimo Ghirotto
    Stages 6, 22 & 23 Tour de France, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 21 Tour de France, Erich Mächler
    Coppa Placci, Guido Bontempi
    Gouden Pijl, Guido Bontempi
    Paris–Brussels, Guido Bontempi

### 1987

    Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Stephen Roche
       Stage 4, Stephen Roche
    Stage 1 (TTT) Paris–Nice
    Stage 7b Paris–Nice, Stephen Roche
    Milan–San Remo, Erich Mächler
    Overall Tour de Romandie, Stephen Roche
       Stages 5a & 5b, Stephen Roche
    Overall Giro d'Italia, Stephen Roche
       Prologue & Stage 13, Roberto Visentini
       Stages 1b, & 22 Stephen Roche
       Stage 12, Guido Bontempi
    Prologue & Stage 3b Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Erich Mächler
    Preis Vom Seetal, Erich Mächler
    Italy National Road Championships, Bruno Leali
    Overall Tour de France, Stephen Roche
       Stage 2 (TTT)
       Stage 10, Stephen Roche
    Kortenhoef Criterium, Stephen Roche
    Linne Criterium, Guido Bontempi
    Sint-Truiden Criterium, Guido Bontempi
    Coppa Placci, Massimo Ghirotto
    Coppa Bernocchi, Guido Bontempi
    UCI Road World Championships, Stephen Roche
    Trofeo Baracchi (TTT), Bruno Leali & Massimo Ghirotto
    Aalsmeer Criterium, Stephen Roche
    Super Prestige Pernod, Stephen Roche

### 1988

    Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Erich Mächler
       Prologue & Stage 4b, Erich Mächler
    Stages 1 & 5 Settimana Siciliana, Guido Bontempi
    Stages 3 & 6b Tirreno–Adriatico, Erich Mächler
    E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 1 Vuelta a España, Ettore Pastorelli
    Stage 4b Tour de Romandie, Urs Zimmermann
    Stages 2 & 5 Giro d'Italia, Guido Bontempi
    GP Industria & Artigianato, Massimo Ghirotto
    Prologue Tour de France, Guido Bontempi
    Coppa Bernocchi, Guido Bontempi

### 1989

    Stage 7 Vuelta a España, Massimo Ghirotto
    Stage 2 Giro d'Italia, Acácio Da Silva
    Stage 1 Tour de France, Acácio Da Silva
    Coppa Placci, Claudio Chiappucci
    Stage 1b GP de Sintra, Acácio Da Silva
    Giro del Piemonte, Claudio Chiappucci

### 1990

    Stage 4 Settimana Siciliana, Claudio Chiappucci
    Points classification Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Guido Bontempi
       Stages 1 & 2, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 7 Paris–Nice, Claudio Chiappucci
    GP Pino Cerami, Maximilian Sciandri
    Overall Giro di Puglia, Guido Bontempi
       Stage 1, Guido Bontempi
    Stages 2, 3a, 4, 5 & 6 Vuelta a Aragón, Maximilian Sciandri
    Mountains classification Giro d'Italia, Claudio Chiappucci
    Stage 1a Tour de Luxembourg, Acácio Da Silva
    Stage 3 Tour de Luxembourg, Bruno Bonnet
    Stage 4 Tour de Luxembourg, Erich Mächler
    Giro dell'Appennino, Flavio Giupponi
    Stage 9 Tour de France, Massimo Ghirotto
    Stage 19 Tour de France, Guido Bontempi
    Geraardsbergen Criterium, Claudio Chiappucci
    Critérium cycliste international de Quillan, Claudio Chiappucci

### 1991

    Stages 2 & 4b Vuelta a Murcia, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
    Milan–San Remo, Claudio Chiappucci
    Stage 1a Driedaagse van De Panne, Maximilian Sciandri
    Gent–Wevelgem, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
    Stages 10 & 15 Vuelta a España, Guido Bontempi
    Points classification Giro d'Italia, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stage 6, Vladimir Pulnikov
       Stage 9, Massimo Ghirotto
       Stage 11, Maximilian Sciandri
    Stage 2 Tour de Luxembourg, Guido Bontempi
    Points classification Tour de France, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
       Mountains classification, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stages 1 & 4, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
       Stage 13, Claudio Chiappucci
    Draai van de Kaai, Claudio Chiappucci
    Circuito delle Mura - Città di Marostica, Claudio Chiappucci
    Stage 7 Volta a Catalunya, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
    Giro del Piemonte, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov

### 1992

    Stages 5a & 6 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
    Stage 4 Vuelta al País Vasco, Vladimir Pulnikov
    Giro dell'Appennino, Claudio Chiappucci
    Points classification Vuelta a España, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
       Stages 2a, 4, 11 & 21, Djamolidine Abduzhaparov
    Mountains classification Giro d'Italia, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stages 6 & 8, Guido Bontempi
    Mountains classification Tour de France, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stages 5, Guido Bontempi
       Stages 13, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stages 16, Stephen Roche
    Boxmeer, Criterium, Claudio Chiappucci
    Castillon-la-Bataille, Criterium, Claudio Chiappucci
    Gouden Pijl, Claudio Chiappucci
    Wincanton Classic, Massimo Ghirotto
    La Louvière, Claudio Chiappucci
    Overall Cronostaffetta
       Stage 1b
    Sprint classification Clásico RCN : Fabio Roscioli
       Stage 1, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stage 4, Alessandro Giannelli
       Stage 5, Vladimir Pulnikov

### 1993

    Stage 3 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Guido Bontempi
    Stage 3a Driedaagse van De Panne, Rolf Sørensen
    Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Rolf Sørensen
    Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop, Rolf Sørensen
    Prologue & Stages 1 & 4b Tour de Romandie, Rolf Sørensen
    Amsterdam Rai Derny Race, Rolf Sørensen
    Mountains classification Giro d'Italia, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stage 6 , Guido Bontempi
       Stage 14, Claudio Chiappucci
    Stage 9 Tour de Suisse, Rolf Sørensen
    Stage 12 Tour de France, Fabio Roscioli
    Stage 17 Tour de France, Claudio Chiappucci
    Chateau-Chinon-Ville Criterium, Stephen Roche
    GP de la Ville de Lourdes, Claudio Chiappucci
    Clasica San Sebastian, Claudio Chiappucci
    Lamballe Criterium, Claudio Chiappucci
    Coppa Bernocchi, Rolf Sørensen
    Coppa Sabatini, Claudio Chiappucci
    Milano–Torino, Rolf Sørensen
    Giro del Piemonte, Beat Zberg
    Japan Cup, Claudio Chiappucci

### 1994

    Stage 8 Vuelta y Ruta de Mexico, Samuele Schiavina
    Stage 14 Vuelta y Ruta de Mexico, Marco Artunghi
    Stages 14 & 15 Giro d'Italia, Marco Pantani
    Stage 20 Giro d'Italia, Vladimir Pulnikov
    Young rider classification Tour de France, Marco Pantani
    Quillan, Claudio Chiappucci
    Overall Volta a Catalunya, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stage 4, Claudio Chiappucci
    Circuito Alzanese, Mario Traversoni
    Giro del Piemonte, Nicola Miceli
    Japan Cup, Claudio Chiappucci

### 1995

    Stage 1 Tour de Romandie, Beat Zberg
    Overall Vuelta a Asturias, Beat Zberg
       Stage 4, Samuele Schiavina
       Stage 6, Beat Zberg
    Stage 11 Giro d'Italia, Enrico Zaina
    Young rider classification Tour de France, Marco Pantani
       Stages 9, 10 & 14, Marco Pantani
    Klagenfurt Criterium, Claudio Chiappucci
    Giro del Piemonte, Claudio Chiappucci
    Overall Escalada a Montjuich, Claudio Chiappucci
       Stage 1a, Claudio Chiappucci
    Japan Cup, Claudio Chiappucci

### 1996

    Berner Rundfahrt, Beat Zberg
    Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop, Beat Zberg
    Stages 9 & 20 Giro d'Italia, Enrico Zaina
    Overall Tour de Suisse, Peter Luttenberger
       Stage 6, Peter Luttenberger
    Stage 15 Tour de France, Massimo Podenzana
    Stage 5 GP Guillaume Tell, Markus Zberg

## Supplementary statistics

Sources
Grand Tours by highest finishing position :
| Race | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Vuelta a España | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 15 | 58 | – | 47 | 15 | – | – | 87 | – |
| Giro d'Italia | – | 3 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Tour de France | 6 | – | – | 58 | – | 22 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 5 |
| Major week-long stage races by highest finishing position ||||||||||||||||||||
| Race | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Paris–Nice | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 4 | 34 | 27 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tirreno–Adriatico | 3 | 14 | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 7 | – | 1 | 8 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
| Volta a Catalunya | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 45 | 33 | – | 5 | 1 | 4 | – |
| Tour of the Basque Country | 1 | 19 | – | – | 2 | – | – | – | 12 | – | – | 13 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 33 | 12 |
| / Tour de Romandie | – | – | – | – | 7 | – | 8 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 16 | – | – | 2 | 11 | 5 | 7 |
| Critérium du Dauphiné | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 30 | 37 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tour de Suisse | 9 | – | – | – | 12 | – | 5 | 4 | 14 | – | 12 | – | 44 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Tour de Pologne | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6 |
| Ronde van Nederland | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Monument races by highest finishing position ||||||||||||||||||||
| Race | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Milan–San Remo | 9 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 2 | 29 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 35 | 5 | 37 | 8 | 47 |
| Tour of Flanders | – | – | – | – | – | – | 10 | 7 | 38 | 31 | 53 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 57 | 4 | 13 |
| Paris–Roubaix | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18 | 9 | 42 | 28 | 42 | 14 | 54 | – | – | – | 21 |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 23 | 2 | – | 21 | 51 | 35 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 |
| Giro di Lombardia | 3 | 2 | 3 | 36 | 10 | 8 | 19 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 36 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 21 |
| Classics by highest finishing position ||||||||||||||||||||
| Classic | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| Omloop Het Volk | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | NH | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| E3 Harelbeke | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 23 | 35 | – | 12 | – |
| Gent–Wevelgem | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 33 | 22 | 23 | 1 | 35 | 33 | 47 | 16 | 12 |
| Amstel Gold Race | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 23 | 28 | 11 | 20 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| La Flèche Wallonne | – | – | 21 | – | – | – | – | 14 | 4 | – | 8 | 56 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Clásica de San Sebastián | NH | NH | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 22 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 3 |
| Paris–Tours | – | – | – | – | – | – | 20 | 17 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 31 | 11 | 31 | 16 | 19 | – | 39 |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |
| NH | Not held |