Green Kelmes colour the Giro.

In this years Giro the Kelmes gave colour with riders like Santiago Perez, Isaac Galvez and aspecially Aitor Gonzalez Jimenez. But as always the boys in green ride an attacking race. 

As you may know the team excists for already twentythree years and have always raced with very good climbers. We've had the Colombian rider Parra; Fernando Escartin, who always ended up in the top ten and once was third in the Tour de France; Roberto Heras, who won the Vuelta; Jose Luis Rubiera, who won also in the Giro and Laudelino Cubino, who won big mountainstages in the Vuelta and Giro.

The last, maybe five, years Kelme tried to change their tacticts a little bit. The got more allround so they can also compete in flat stages and also in timetrials, in which they always finished last. Two years ago this policy resulted in a very good Tour the France. With Santiago Botero they won the mountainjersey and also one stage. With Javier Otxoa, yes the rider who had a terrible accident, they won a marvelous stage in the Pyrenees. And because of their good overall preformance they also won the best-team contest. Because of that Kelme could enter the big tours (Giro, Tour and Vuelta) the year after. So they don't have to be afraid of getting a wild card from mr. Leblanc! With riders like Jose Angel Vidal, Javier Pascual Llorente, Antonio Tauler and in that year Roberto Heras and Fernando Escartin they had a very balanced team with gave colour to the Tour.

After that year Kelme had to pay the price. Bigger teams bought their good riders. Fernando Escartin went to Team Coast, Roberto Heras and Jose Luis Rubiera went to US Postal and finally Javier Otxoa got his accident. But, and that is maybe the biggest strength from Kelme, they didn't give up. The brothers Quilles, owners of Kelme, went on and with young riders as Oscar Sevilla, Jose Enrique Guttierrez and Angel Vicioso. 

In last years Giro it was Jose Enrique Guttierrez who rode with the pink jersey. It was Angel Vicioso who won one sprint, but lost it again because some crazy jurymembers saw something nobody had seen. In the Tour Kelme again won the best-team contest (you know now what that means). It was Felix Gardenas who won a mountainstage. And Oscar Sevilla and Santiago Botero ended in the top ten. Also in the Vuelta it was Oscar Sevilla who almost won it, after Roberto Heras the year before.

And now in 2002 Kelme still show the cyclingworld that they are there to try to win, to attack and let the cyclingworld know that without big money, like Mapei, Telekom, US Postal etc..., they can still compete with the best. Santiago Perez was in this years Giro second behind Garzelli, who was disclalified, and looked in very good form. Isaac Galvez didn't win a sprint, but showed that without a train like Cipolinni's team he was there (second, fourth and fourth). And of course Aitor Gonzalez Jimenez won two stages and finished sixth in the final overall.

With Santiago Botero, Aitor Gonzalez, Oscar Sevilla, Jose Enrique Guttierrez, Antonio Tauler, Javier Pascual Llorente, Francisco Cabello, Jose Javier Gomez and Jose Angel Vidal Kelme will colour the Tour the France again and despite of the financial problems Kelme will always survive!