La Méditerranéenne, previously known as Tour Méditerranéen, was a professional road bicycle racing event held in Spain, France and Italy, close to the Mediterranean.[1] Run over four days, it holds a 2.1 rating on the UCI Europe Tour.[2]

Tour Méditerranéen
La Méditerranéenne
Race details
DateFebruary
RegionSpain
France
Italy
English nameMediterranean Tour
Local name(s)Tour Méditerranéen (in French)
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionUCI Europe Tour
TypeStage race
OrganiserAssociation Olympique Mediterranée
Race directorAndré Martres
Web sitewww.letourmed.com Edit this at Wikidata
History
First edition1974 (1974)
Editions42
Final edition2016
First winner Charles Rouxel (FRA)
Most wins Gerrie Knetemann (NED) (3 wins)
Final winner Andriy Hrivko (UKR)

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.[3] 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.[3]

History

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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.[4] 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.[5] Gerrie Knetemann holds the record with three victories.[6]

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.[7] Financial difficulties led to the discontinuation of the race in 2015 after organizers failed to pay debts from the previous edition.[8]

In 2016 the race was revived as La Méditerranéenne and scaled back to four days.[5] The rejuvenated edition was won by Ukrainian Andriy Hrivko.[9]

 
13 february 2016: third stage of La Méditerranéenne

Route

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From 1974 until 2014 the race was held in the southern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, but also occasionally featured stages in Liguria, Italy. Traditionally, a summit finish on the Mont Faron in Toulon was staged every year. As from 2016, the re-invented La Méditerranéenne is contested over four days. The 2016 edition spanned three countries, starting with a team time trial in Banyoles, Spain, before heading into France for two stages close to the Mediterranean coast. The final stage started and finished in Bordighera, on the Italian riviera.[5]

Winners

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Tour Méditerranéen

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Gerrie Knetemann (pictured in 1977) won the event three times.
Year Country Rider Team
1974   France Charles Rouxel Peugeot–BP–Michelin
1975   Belgium Joseph Bruyère Molteni
1976   Netherlands Roy Schuiten Lejeune–BP
1977   Belgium Eddy Merckx Fiat France
1978   Netherlands Gerrie Knetemann TI–Raleigh
1979   France Michel Laurent Peugeot–Esso–Michelin
1980   Netherlands Gerrie Knetemann TI–Raleigh
1981    Switzerland Stefan Mutter Cilo–Aufina
1982   France Michel Laurent Peugeot–Shell–Michelin
1983   Netherlands Gerrie Knetemann TI–Raleigh
1984   France Jean-Claude Bagot Skil–Reydel
1985   Australia Phil Anderson Panasonic
1986   France Jean-François Bernard La Vie Claire
1987   Netherlands Gerrit Solleveld Superconfex–Kwantum–Yoko–Colnago
1988   Belgium Jan Nevens Sigma-Fina
1989    Switzerland Tony Rominger Chateau d'Ax
1990   France Gérard Rué Castorama
1991   Australia Phil Anderson Motorola
1992   Germany Rolf Gölz Ariostea
1993   France Charly Mottet Novemail–Histor–Laser Computer
1994   Italy Davide Cassani GB–MG Maglificio
1995   Italy Gianni Bugno MG Maglificio–Technogym
1996   Belgium Franck Vandenbroucke Mapei–GB
1997   France Emmanuel Magnien Festina–Lotus
1998   Italy Rodolfo Massi Casino–Ag2r
1999   Italy Davide Rebellin Polti
2000   France Laurent Jalabert ONCE–Deutsche Bank
2001   Italy Davide Rebellin Liquigas–Pata
2002   Italy Michele Bartoli Fassa Bortolo
2003   Italy Paolo Bettini Quick-Step–Davitamon
2004   Germany Jörg Jaksche Team CSC
2005   Germany Jens Voigt Team CSC
2006   France Cyril Dessel AG2R Prévoyance
2007   Spain Iván Gutiérrez Caisse d'Epargne
2008   Russia Alexandre Botcharov Crédit Agricole
2009   Spain Luis León Sánchez Caisse d'Epargne
2010   Italy Rinaldo Nocentini Ag2r–La Mondiale
2011   France David Moncoutié Cofidis
2012   Great Britain Jonathan Tiernan-Locke Endura Racing
2013   Sweden Thomas Löfkvist IAM Cycling
2014   Great Britain Steve Cummings BMC Racing Team
2015 No race

La Méditerranéenne

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Year Country Rider Team
2016   Ukraine Andriy Hrivko Astana
2017[10] No race

References

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  1. ^ "Tour Méditerranéen". FirstCycling.com. 2022.
  2. ^ "La Méditerranéenne – General Classification".
  3. ^ a b "News shorts: New French stage race planned for February". Cycling News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Tour méditerranéen (Fra) - Cat.2.1". Memoire-du-cyclisme.eu (in French). Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "New four-day race La Méditerranéenne reveals stage starts and finishes. Replacement for Tour Méditerranéen race will run from February 11–14". Cycling News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Race History". Cycling News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Tour Méditéranéen in peril".
  8. ^ "Tour Méditerranéen will not take place in 2015". Cycling News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  9. ^ "La Méditerranéenne 2016". Cycling News. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  10. ^ "La Mediterraneenne cancelled for 2017 - Cyclingnews.com".
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