La Méditerranéenne
| Date | February |
|---|---|
| Region | Spain France Italy |
| English name | Mediterranean Tour |
| Local name(s) | Tour Méditerranéen (French) |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
| Type | Stage race |
| Organiser | Association Olympique Mediterranée |
| Race director | André Martres |
| First edition | 1974 |
| Editions | 42 (as of 2016) |
| First winner |
 Charles Rouxel (FRA)
|
| Most wins |
 Gerrie Knetemann (NED) (3 wins) |
| Most recent |
 Andriy Hrivko (UKR)
|
La Méditerranéenne, previously known as Tour Méditerranéen, is a professional road bicycle racing event held in Spain, France and Italy, close to the Mediterranean Seaside. Run over four days, it holds a 2.1 rating on the UCI Europe Tour.
The event is part of a series of stage races being held in the south of France in February, alongside the Étoile de Bessèges, the Tour du Haut Var and the Tour La Provence. These early-season races are competed mainly by French teams and are considered preparations for Paris–Nice, the first European World Tour event in March.
The Tour Méditerranéen ("Tour of the Mediterranean Sea") was created by former Tour de France winner Lucien Aimar in 1974. The event was named Trophée Méditerranéen for its first four editions. Run in February, the five-day stage race was won by several eminent riders, including Eddy Merckx, Gianni Bugno, Tony Rominger, Laurent Jalabert and Paolo Bettini.Gerrie Knetemann holds the record with three victories.
In 2012 licensing problems between the organizers and the French Cycling Federation emerged, nearly spelling the cancellation of the event before a deal was ultimately reached. Financial difficulties led to the discontinuation of the race in 2015 after organizers failed to pay debts from the previous edition.
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Wikipedia