The former General Manager of the ill-fated Le Groupement team from the 90s – Guy Mollet – is looking at establishing a new UCI Continental team, according to a report on Direct Velo.

The new team will be based in Nord Pas de Calais and will include eighteen cyclists, of which thirteen will be neo-pros. The team doesn’t have a name yet, and according to the report, the plans have not yet been finalised. The team are aiming to race next season, but will need to submit their application by 1 November.

Mollet, the man behind the team has been involved with the organisation of various races including the GP d’Isbergues and the Tour of the Mediterranean, but he is probably best known for his involvement with the short-lived Le Groupement team.

Le Groupement was established in 1995 and included numerous big-name riders from the time including Ronan Pensec, Pascal Lino, Thierry Bourguignon, Robert Millar and Jean-Paul van Poppel.

Another rider who signed for the team was former World Hour Record holder Graeme Obree. However, the ink was hardly even dry on the Scotsman’s contract when he was fired for what was described as a “lack of professionalism” after missing a team meeting.

Obree would later reveal that he was unwilling to dope with the team and that was the real reason why he had been fired.

Other controversy surrounded the team because of their sponsors. The group behind the main sponsor was the European Association of Marketing Professionals which was said to have been nothing but a pyramid scheme.

The team enjoyed limited success and didn’t even make it to the Tour de France. Just two days after the National Championships, they folded.

The riders were left high and dry with missed payments and no teams to ride for. It marked the end of careers for a number of the riders including Van Poppel and Millar.

Here’s hoping that Mollet’s new venture, if it gets off the ground is longer lasting.

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here