Mercatone Uno–Scanavino

Mercatone Uno-Scanavino

Team information
UCI code	MER
Registered	San Marino 1992–1995 Italy 1997–2003
Founded	1992 (1992)
Disbanded	2003
Discipline(s)	Road
Key personnel
General manager	Franco Gini (1992–1995) Luciano Pezzi (1997–1998) Franco Cornacchia (1995–2001) Manuela Ronchi (2000–2002)
Team name history
1992–1993 1994 1995 1997 1998–1999 2000 2001 2002 2003	Mercatone Uno-Zucchini Mercatone Uno-Medeghini Mercatone Uno-Saeco Mercatone Uno Mercatone Uno-Bianchi Mercatone Uno-Albacom Mercatone Uno-Stream TV Mercatone Uno Mercatone Uno-Scanavino

Mercatone Uno–Scanavino is a former professional cycling team which was based in San Marino and then in Italy. Throughout the 1990s it was one of the strongest Italian cycling teams in the peloton. The team was sponsored by a chain of supermarkets in Italy.

History

San Marino Team

The team began as Mercatone Uno-Zucchini in 1992 and was based in San Marino. Riding with the team Adriano Baffi won the points classification in the 1993 Giro d'Italia. During the 1995 season the General Manager of the team was Franco Gini and the directeur sportifs were Antonio Salutini, Franco Chioccioli, Olivano Locatelli and Bruno Vicino. This team closed at the end of 1995 season with the withdrawal of the sponsor: the new team had the same sponsor but was a totally different team.

Team built around Pantani

When Carrera Jeans manufacturers stopped sponsoring the famous Italian cycling team Carrera Jeans–Tassoni at the end of 1996, it was reported that manager Davide Boifava would be building a team around Marco Pantani with Mercatone Uno as the main sponsor. However Luciano Pezzi became the President of that new team, taking with him as directeur sportifs Giuseppe Martinelli, Davide Cassani and Alessandro Giannelli and ten of the riders from Carrera including Pantani. In this way a new team based in Italy was formed with Marco Pantani as the team leader and which rode Bianchi bikes. According to former cycling champion Felice Gimondi the team was built exclusively around Pantani with directeur sportif Martinelli refusing to sign a sprinter as this could have created other objectives of the team. According to Gimondi, in this way the team was conceived similarly to the way the Bianchi cycling team was conceived in the mid-1940s as a team built around Fausto Coppi. In the 1997 season, Pantani finished third overall at the 1997 Tour de France and won several stages including the stage to the Alpe d'Huez. The following year Pantani won the 1998 Giro d'Italia and then won the 1998 Tour de France – becoming only the seventh rider in history to achieve the Giro–Tour double. Pantani dedicated his win to the recently deceased General manager of Mercatone Uno Luciano Pezzi. After achieving this great success, the head of the branch of the Mercatone Uno supermarkets, Romano Cenni, said that the sponsor would remain in cycling as long as Pantani was still cycling. In the 1999 Giro d'Italia, Pantani dominated the race until he was suspended from the race due to a high haematocrit level. As a result, the entire Mercatone Uno team withdrew from the race. The following year the team won the 2000 Giro d'Italia with Stefano Garzelli to which he thanked Pantani for help. Although Garzelli had a contract that run until the end of the 2001 season, he left the team at the end of 2000. When Pantani abandoned the 2002 Giro d'Italia, there was immediate talk of Mercatone Uno stopping its sponsorship after the 2002 season as the team had not been invited to the 2001 and 2002 Tour de France. However the team continued during the 2003 season where Pantani rode to 14th overall in the 2003 Giro d'Italia. The team was disbanded at the end of 2003 due to the probable retirement of Pantani with several riders going to the South African team Barloworld.

Major wins

1992

Stage 18 Vuelta a España, Enrico Zaina

1993

Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda, Enrico Zaina

Profronde van Made, Adri van der Poel

Profronde van Surhuisterveen, Adri van der Poel

Stages 2, 8 & 18 Giro d'Italia, Adriano Baffi

1994

Giro di Toscana, Francesco Casagrande

Criterium d'Abruzzo, Michele Bartoli

Firenze–Pistoia, Francesco Casagrande

Trofeo Luis Puig, Adriano Baffi

Stages 1 & 6 Paris–Nice, Mario Cipollini

Stage 1 Tirreno–Adriatico, Adriano Baffi

Brabantse Pijl, Michele Bartoli

Grand Prix Pino Cerami, Michele Bartoli

GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano, Francesco Casagrande

Stage 13 Giro d'Italia, Michele Bartoli

Stage 15 Tour de France, Eros Poli

Stages 2 & 3 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Simone Biasci

Stage 6 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Massimo Donati

Giro della Romagna, Giuseppe Petito

Giro dell'Emilia, Francesco Casagrande

Milano–Torino, Francesco Casagrande

1995

Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda, Massimiliano Lelli

Profronde van Oostvoorne, Mario Cipollini

Italy National Time Trial championships, Massimiliano Lelli

Overall Driedaagse van De Panne, Michele Bartoli

Firenze–Pistoia, Francesco Casagrande

Coppa Placci, Francesco Casagrande

Trofeo Luis Puig, Mario Cipollini

Stages 4 & 5 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Mario Cipollini

Stages 2 & 5 Tour de Romandie, Mario Cipollini

Giro dell'Appennino, Francesco Casagrande

Stages 1 & 3 Giro d'Italia, Mario Cipollini

Stages 2, 3 & 5 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Mario Cipollini

Stages 2 & 4 Tour de France, Mario Cipollini

Milano–Vignola, Angelo Canzonieri

1997

Ronde van Pijnacker, Marco Pantani

Giro del Mendrisiotto, Beat Zberg

Overall Giro di Toscana, Sergio Barbero

Coppa Placci, Beat Zberg

Stage 7 Tirreno–Adriatico

Stages 13 & 15 Tour de France, Marco Pantani

Stage 19 Tour de France, Mario Traversoni

Urkiola Igoera – Subida Urkiola, Beat Zberg

Stage 7 Tour de Pologne, Markus Zberg

1998

GP Tell, Marco Velo

De Draai van de Kaai, Marco Pantani

Profronde van Surhuisterveen, Marco Pantani

Firenze–Pistoia, Marco Velo

Gala Tour de France, Marco Pantani

Stage 4 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Dimitri Konyshev

Overall Giro d'Italia, Marco Pantani

, Mountains classification, Marco Pantani

Stages 14 & 19, Marco Pantani

Stage 16, Fabio Fontanelli

Overall Tour de Suisse, Stefano Garzelli

Points classification, Stefano Garzelli

Combination classification, Stefano Garzelli

Stages 5 & 6, Stefano Garzelli

Italy National Time Trial championships, Marco Velo

Overall Tour de France, Marco Pantani

Stages 11 & 15, Marco Pantani

Urkiola Igoera - Subida Urkiola, Simone Borgheresi

Boucles de l'Aulne, Marco Pantani

1999

Firenze–Pistoia, Marco Velo

Roma Maxima, Sergio Barbero

Overall Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia – Costa Calida, Marco Pantani

Stage 4, Marco Pantani

Stage 2 Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme, Marco Pantani

Stage 5a Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme, Fabiano Fontanelli

GP Miguel Induráin, Stefano Garzelli

Stage 3 Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, Stefano Garzelli

Paris–Camembert Lepetit, Fabiano Fontanelli

GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano, Massimo Podenzana

Stages 8, 15, 19 & 20 Giro d'Italia, Marco Pantani

Giro dell'Appennino, Simone Borgheresi

Italy National Time Trial championships, Marco Velo

Stage 14 Tour de France, Dimitri Konyshev

Tre Valli Varesine, Sergio Barbero

GP Llodio, Marco Velo

Giro della Romagna, Roberto Conti

Grand Prix de Fourmies, Dimitri Konyshev

Coppa Sabatini, Dimitri Konyshev

Japan Cup, Sergio Barbero

2000

Acht van Chaam, Marco Pantani

Profronde van Stiphout, Marco Pantani

Overall Giro del Trentino, Simone Borgheresi

Overall Giro d'Italia, Stefano Garzelli

Stage 18, Stefano Garzelli

Overall Tour of Sweden, Michael Andersson

Stage 2, Michael Andersson

Stage 8 Tour de Suisse, Stefano Garzelli

Mountains classification Stefano Garzelli

Sweden National Time Trial championship, Michael Andersson

Italy National Time Trial championships, Marco Velo

Stages 12 & 15 Tour de France, Marco Pantani

2001

Klasika Primavera, Igor Astarloa

Stage 7 Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, Daniele De Paoli

Italy National Time Trial championships, Marco Velo

2002

GP Città di Rio Saliceto e Correggio, Fabiano Fontanelli

Giro della Provincia di Lucca, Fabiano Fontanelli

Kazakhstan National Time Trial championships, Andrey Mizurov

2003

Giro del Friuli, Joseba Albizu

Stage 2 Ster Elektrotoer, Eddy Serri

Stage 4 Ster Elektrotoer, Luca Solari

Stage 5 Ster Elektrotoer, Enrico Degano

Supplementary statistics

Sources:

Note: The team did not exist for the 1996 Season.

Grand Tours by highest finishing position
Race	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Giro d'Italia	14	11	22	10	–	9	1	DNF	1	11	37	14
Tour de France	–	–	42	43	–	3	1	32	37	–	–	–
/ Vuelta a España	54	39	13	9	–	–	–	–	–	46	–	–
Major week-long stage races by highest finishing position
Race	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Tour Down Under	Did not Exist							–	–	–	–	–
/ Paris–Nice	–	68	22	6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Tirreno–Adriatico	17	20	15	7	–	3	–	3	22	23	19	–
Volta a Catalunya	–	–	9	30	–	–	4	12	–	–	–	–
Tour of the Basque Country	–	–	4	–	–	3	15	8	28	26	–	49
Tour de Romandie	–	–	–	2	–	3	20	39	–	–	–	–
Critérium du Dauphiné	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Tour de Suisse	–	–	–	–	–	8	1	–	9	–	–	–
Tour de Pologne	–	–	–	–	–	8	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ronde van Nederland	–	34	15	51	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Monument races by highest finishing position
Monument	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Milan–San Remo	30	11	2	5	–	12	38	4	7	24	68	–
Tour of Flanders	35	33	36	7	–	–	–	31	55	DNF	–	–
Paris–Roubaix	–	5	–	32	–	–	DNF	DNF	–	–	–	–
Liège–Bastogne–Liège	25	80	17	3	–	7	28	13	19	11	21	–
Giro di Lombardia	39	36	11	3	–	21	11	5	35	38	24	65
Classics by highest finishing position
Classic	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Omloop Het Volk	26	–	69	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne	26	NH	25	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
E3 Harelbeke	21	6	3	21	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Gent–Wevelgem	27	9	19	4	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Amstel Gold Race	–	6	34	10	–	3	23	10	16	15	–	–
La Flèche Wallonne	–	7	6	4	–	5	47	7	15	27	81	–
Clásica de San Sebastián	32	25	36	11	–	7	49	14	79	20	–	–
Paris–Tours	27	5	4	9	–	–	15	53	40	–	–	–

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish
NH	Not held

Famous Mercatone Uno cyclists

• Marco Pantani
• Michele Bartoli
• Francesco Casagrande
• Dmitri Konychev
• Bruno Leali
• Adriano Baffi
• John Talen
• Roberto Petito
• Mario Cipollini
• Dario Frigo
• Eddy Mazzoleni
• Stefano Garzelli
• Daniel Clavero
• Sylvester Szmyd