Barloworld (cycling team)
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| UCI code | BAR |
|---|---|
| Registered | United Kingdom |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Disbanded | 2009 |
| Discipline | Road |
| Status | Professional Continental |
| General manager | Claudio Corti |
Barloworld (UCI Team Code: BAR) was a UCI Professional Continental cycling team that competed between 2003 and 2009.
Its sponsor company was South African and the team maintained a South African identity, but it was first registered in Italy and then, from 2007, in Great Britain.
Barloworld rode UCI Continental Circuits races and, when selected, UCI ProTour events. They were managed by Claudio Corti, with Valerio Tebaldi, Christian Andersen and Alberto Volpi as directeurs sportifs. Its prominent riders included South African Robert Hunter and Colombian Mauricio Soler. Chris Froome rode for Barloworld for 2008 and 2009.
The sponsor was Barloworld, an industrial brand management company. The team rode Bianchi frames with Shimano components.
Barloworld competed in the 2007 Tour de France after a wild card entry. It was the first British-registered team in the Tour since ANC-Halfords in 1987. The team won two stages through Mauricio Soler and Robert Hunter, won the King of the Mountains competition (Soler), and had eight of its nine riders finish the race. Shortly after the Tour, team rider Ryan Cox, not a member of the Tour squad, died when an artery burst in his leg following surgery.
The team again received a wildcard entry for the 2008 Tour de France, but Soler was injured on Stage 1 and dropped out in stage 5. Three others left with injuries, and only four completed the race, with no top three placings on any stage. Moisés Dueñas had a positive test for EPO following stage four and was withdrawn before stage 11. Barloworld announced their withdrawal from sponsorship after the tour, but on October 28 decided to sponsor for another year.
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