ANC-Halfords Cycling Team
| Registered | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 |
| Disbanded | 1987 |
| Discipline | Road |
| Bicycles | Peugeot |
| Components | Campagnolo |
| 1985–1986 1987 |
ANC–Freight–Rover ANC–Halfords |
ANC–Halfords was a British-based professional team that was created in 1985 but folded in 1987 due to a lack of funds. The team used Peugeot cycles with Campagnolo components. ANC–Halfords was the last British-based team that rode the Tour de France until Barloworld was invited in 2007.
In 1985, the ANC-Freight-Rover team was formed in 1985 by the transport operator Tony Capper and the former racing cyclist Phil Griffiths, who had plans to get the team into the Tour de France. The team competed on the Continent and in Britain. In Britain, the British Cycling Federation limited teams to six riders, while continental squads had 20 or more. To get around this, the squad in Britain split into three different teams with different sponsors e.g. Lycra-Halfords. On the Continent, all the riders rode under one team name.
In 1987, the team rode under the name ANC–Halfords. In races outside England, the team was co-sponsored by Tönissteiner. ANC got a wildcard invitation to ride the 1987 Tour de France. The team were inexperienced as only Graham Jones had ridden a major stage race. The team turned up in Berlin and were promised the best equipment such as specialist time-trial cycles. Instead, they rode the opening time trial on standard road bikes, with only four disc wheels between nine riders. Only four riders made it to Paris. The only success was Malcolm Elliot's third place on one stage. The best ranked cyclist in the general classification was Adrian Timmis, ranked 70th. The Tour de France had required a £37,000 entry fee. Some of the cyclists stopped early in the race, and Tony Capper invited guests (including his family and potential sponsors) to take their already reserved hotel rooms.
In the last week of the race, Tony Capper left the team, and they did not see him anymore.
After the Tour de France, the ANC team was only revived for a few races. Joey McLoughlin won the first Kellogg's Tour of Britain and Malcolm Elliott won two stages in the Nissan Classic in Ireland. By the end of the season, the team ran out of money and was no more.
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