Chazal (cycling team)
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| Team information | |
|---|---|
| UCI code | ALM |
| Registered | France |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Discipline | Road |
| Status | UCI WorldTeam |
| Bicycles | Factor |
| Components | SRAM |
| Website | Team home page |
| Key personnel | |
| General manager | Vincent Lavenu |
| Team manager(s) | Laurent Biondi |
| Team name history | |
| 1992–1995 1996 1997–1999 2000–2007 2008–2014 2015– |
Chazal Petit Casino Casino–AG2R Prévoyance AG2R Prévoyance Ag2r–La Mondiale AG2R La Mondiale |
AG2R La Mondiale (UCI team code: ALM) is a French cycling team with UCI ProTour team status. Its title sponsors are the AG2R Group, which is a French-based interprofessional insurance and supplementary retirement fund group, and the La Mondiale Group, which is a French-based international group for supplementary pension and estate planning insurance. The team is predominantly French.
In 1992 Vincent Lavenu, who had just retired from professional cycling, started a professional cycling team with Chazal as the main sponsor. Lavenu had previously organised sponsorship from Chazal of his last professional team. This sponsor stayed from 1992 to 1995. In 1996 Petit Casino, a chain of coffee shops in supermarkets, took over the sponsorship of the team. At this time the team was a second division team that relied on the public to sponsor the team. The team had the saying "Petit Casino- c’est votre equipe" – "it’s your team", which signified this involvement of the public. In 1997 Casino, the supermarket chain that contained the Petit Casino coffee shops, took over the sponsorship of the team and the budget increased substantially. Lavenu’s team could compete in the big races such as the classics. The team obtained successes with Alexander Vinokourov, Jaan Kirsipuu and Lauri Aus.
The insurance company Ag2r Prevoyance took over as the main sponsor in 2000. The team obtained further successes with Laurent Brochard, Jaan Kirsipuu and Jean-Patrick Nazon. In 2006, the team joined the UCI ProTour, following the signings of big cycling names Francisco Mancebo and Christophe Moreau. Fassa Bortolo's exit from the competition had freed a licence and AG2R was the only team left vying for the license, as Comunidad Valenciana voluntarily withdrew, while the proposed new team of former Fassa Bortolo sporting director Giancarlo Ferretti turned out to be without financial backing. Ag2r obtained success in the 2006 Tour de France with a stage win by Sylvain Calzati, and a day in the maillot jaune by Cyril Dessel.
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