Banesto K-WB - Miniature racing cyclists

Miguel Indurain

Banesto was a Spanish cycling team founded in 1980 with the name Reynolds, initially with the sponsorship of the aluminium company and led by José Miguel Echavarri and Eusebio Unzué. In 1989 the name was changed and the team was sponsored by the Spanish bank Banesto, that stopped sponsoring the team at the end of 2003. In the 2004 season, the team of Echavarri and Unzué found a new sponsor in the government of the Balearic Islands.  The team continued as Illes Balears-Banesto and Illes Balears-Santander abroad. In the 2005 season, Banesto-Santander has definitively withdrawn from the sponsorship of the cycling team. The team found a new sponsor in Caisse d'Epargne (2006-2010) and the current Movistar Team.

Reynolds (1980-1989)
The team was founded in 1980 thanks to the sponsorship of the company INASA (Industria Navarra del Aluminio, S.A.). The main rider was Pedro Delgado, thanks to whom the greatest successes were achieved with his victories in the Tour of 1988 and the Vuelta of 1989. Ángel Arroyo, José Luis Laguía and Julián Gorospe were other excellent riders.

Banesto (1990-2003)
In 1989 Banco Banesto became a sponsor. This team will always be connected with Miguel Indurain. Indurain won five consecutive rounds of France between 1991 and 1995, and two rounds of Italy in 1992 and 1993. After the end of Indurain's career at the end of the 1996 season, Abraham Olano and "Chava" Jiménez were the main riders of the team. The biggest success was achieved in the Vuelta of 1998, where they were respectively 1st and 3rd. The Swiss Alex Zülle was on the podium in the Tour de France with a second place in 1999.

Miguel Indurain
Miguel Induráin was a professional rider from 1984 to 1996. He won the Tour de France for five consecutive years (1991-1995) and the Giro d'Italia for two consecutive years (1992 and 1993). In all his participations in the Tour de France he won a total of 12 stages. In the Giro he won a total of 4 stages. In the Vuelta, the round of Spain, he was on the podium once in 1991. He was second.

He was an excellent time trialist and a very good climber. He became world time trial champion in 1995, and also Olympic time trial champion in 1996. He also broke the world hour record in 1994, a record that he unfortunately would only hold for a few months. Tony Rominger, one of his rivals in the Tour de France, set a new world record.

He also won several stage races and one-day classics, including the Tour of Catalunia (1988, 1991 and 1992), Paris-Nice (1989 and 1990), the Clasica de San Sebastián (1990) and the Dauphiné Libéré (1995 and 1996). All races where time trial and climbing were necessary to achieve results.

His nicknames were El Rey, Miguelón and Big Mig.

He is considered to be one of the best riders in history. He is still one of the riders with the highest number of Tour victories, 5. In his company: Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil.

The teams he rode for:
1984-1989 Reynolds 
1990-1996 Banesto

His most important victories:
1986 general classification tour of the Future
1989 Paris-Nice general classification
1990 Paris-Nice general classification
1990 Clásica San Sebastián
1991 general classification Tour of France
1992 Spanish Champion on the Road
1992 general classification Tour of France
1992 general classification Tour of Italy
1993 general classification Tour of France
1993 general classification Tour of Italy
1994 general classification Tour of France
1994 World hour record
1995 general classification Dauphiné Libéré
1995 World time trial champion
1995 general classification Tour of France
1995 general classification Midi Libre
1996 general classification Dauphiné Libéré
1996 Summer Olympics, individual time trial

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