Cycling sponsorship does not have to end with the jersey design; it can characterise the appearance and look of the entire team. Today, such a CI (corporate identity) is widespread in cycling, whereas in the 1980s it was still the exception rather than the rule. One example was the Italian textile manufacturer Carrera Jeans, which designed cycling shorts for its cyclists that were reminiscent of denim trousers and also provided Carrera racing bikes for a time. However, the Italian team was also notable for its successes: Stephen Roche achieved something historic in 1987, Claudio Chiappucci won the hearts of fans and Marco Pantani experienced his breakthrough. Only one rider ended up as a tragic figure in the Carrera jersey.
The genesis
The name was predestined for cycling: Carrera - Spanish for "race". And it sounded much more memorable than the original name chosen by the three Tacchella brothers Tito, Domenico and Imerio for their jeans production company founded in 1965: "Confezioni Tacchella". From 1973, they therefore renamed their company in Verona Carrera Jeans - inspired by the Porsche Carrera, one of the German car manufacturer's most iconic models.
The idea of cycling first arose in 1983, after a meeting between Tito Tacchella and Achille Prandelli, the managing director of Inoxpran, a manufacturer of stainless steel household goods. Inoxpran had been running a cycling team since 1979 and won the Giro d'Italia with Giovanni Battaglin in 1981. The following years were sobering in sporting terms and Prandelli looked for a sponsoring partner. However, the Tacchella brothers were initially divided: the high investment, the mediocre Inoxpran squad - is it worth it? In the end, however, they agreed. From 1984, the racing team was called Carrera-Inoxpran. Two years later, Carrera led the team alone.
The greatest success
From the very beginning, Carrera acted differently to many of the well-known Italian teams, competing annually in many Flemish classics and the Tour de France and also showing itself to be open to top foreign riders - including the signing of Irishman Stephen Roche. In 1987, he gave Carrera the best season in the team's history, first winning the Giro d'Italia and shortly afterwards the Tour de France.
His toughest rival during the Tour proved to be the Spanish climber Pedro Delgado, who took the yellow jersey from Roche in the final week. On the mountain stage to La Plagne, stage 21 of a total of 25 in the 1987 Tour, Roche surprised the competition with an early attack. However, the effect failed to materialise: At the foot of the final climb, the Delgado group caught up with him again and Roche fell back - the Tour seemed lost.
With its few camera bikes, the director inevitably focussed on the front of the race and no longer on Roche, who outdid himself. When Delgado finally reached the finish behind stage winner Laurent Fignon, Roche came into the picture from the last bend behind him - accompanied by the British TV commentary by Phil Liggett: "Who is that rider coming from behind - that looks like Roche. It's Stephen Roche! He almost caught Delgado, I can hardly believe it!"
Roche collapsed at the finish and needed an oxygen mask. However, he had limited his deficit in the classification to 29 seconds. Three days later, he reclaimed the yellow jersey in the time trial in Dijon; he won the Tour by 40 seconds ahead of Delgado. It remained the only Tour success for an Irishman.
The boss
"The champion is the cyclist, not the sports director," was one of Davide Boifava's mottoes. This attitude was no accident. As a professional, Boifava learnt how a cycling team works from Molteni boss Giorgio Albani, among others. Boifava had to give up his own career in 1978 due to tendonitis. A year later, he received an offer as sporting director at Inoxpran - and agreed on the condition that his mentor Albani had to join him in the team car.
From then on, Boifava also embodied his diplomatic and human skills. Hot-headed sprinters such as Guido Bontempi and the Uzbek Jamolidin Abdushaparov, nicknamed the "Terror of Tashkent", but also impulsive and sensitive cyclists such as Roberto Visentini, Claudio Chiappucci and Marco Pantani - all characters that Boifava knew how to tame. He gave his top riders freedom, but also intervened when necessary. He countered the tensions between Chiappucci and Pantani by making them both room partners.
Boifava founded the bicycle manufacturer Carrera Podium in 1989. For several years, the Carrera pro team also rode its bikes, which were designed in close collaboration with the riders and tested by them.
The most influential drivers
Stephen Roche
Behind the boyish face and the innocent smile was one of the toughest, cleverest, but also most cunning drivers of the 1980s. His first year with Carrera was without success due to knee problems. In 1987, Roche won the Giro, Tour and Road World Championships - the so-called "Triple Crown" in one calendar year, which only Eddy Merckx (1974) and Tadej Pogačar (2024) achieved apart from him. However, the relationship between Roche and the team suffered badly in 1987. As a result, Roche did not pay his Tour prize money into the team's coffers, but only took his Belgian team-mate Eddy Schepers into account. Roche complained about the lack of support and switched to the Fagor-MBK team in 1988 to become the undisputed captain. He returned to Carrera in 1992 and won another Tour stage. He ended his career in 1993.
Claudio Chiappucci
Fans called him "El Diablo", the devil, for his driving style. Chiappucci loved to go on the offensive, livened up many races and was a crowd favourite. His greatest success came at Milan-San Remo in 1991: in the rain and cold, he launched his attack 140 kilometres before the finish, shook off all his companions and reached San Remo as a soloist. Equally remarkable: in 1992, Chiappucci won a mountain stage of the Tour to Sestriere after a 200-kilometre escape. He made his professional debut with Carrera in 1985, stayed until the end of 1996 and worked his way up from domestique to captain. The strong Italian climber experienced his breakthrough at the 1990 Tour: he wore the yellow jersey for eight days and only lost it to Greg LeMond on the penultimate day of the time trial. Nevertheless, the stigma of the unfinished clung to him: He stood on the podium six times at the Giro and the Tour, twice as runner-up - but never as winner.
Marco Pantani
His Giro-Tour double in 1998, the overwhelming adoration of the Italians and the scandals and drug excesses that led to his death in 2004 - the "myth" surrounding his person was still a long way off for Pantani in 1992. He had just signed his first professional contract with Carrera and was already racing on Carrera bikes as an amateur. Pantani was considered shy but ambitious - and an exceptional climber. The cycling world got to see this in 1994 at the latest: Pantani won two difficult mountain stages in a row at the Giro and finished the tour in second place. In doing so, he also eclipsed Chiappucci, the original captain, within the team, which significantly cooled their relationship. Pantani finished third in the Tour in 1994 and won Alpe d'Huez in 1995. From 1997, his great rise began at Mercatone Uno - and ended in a deep fall.
The German influences
For years, Carrera had mainly successful Swiss riders on the team, including Beat Breu, Urs Zimmermann, Erich Mächler and Beat Zberg. The only German professional was Christian Henn: The Heidelberg native rode for Carrera from 1989 to 1991, but remained winless and switched to Team Telekom in 1992.
The great controversy
It was a scandal for the Italian fans and a betrayal and humiliation for Roberto Visentini: his own team-mate Roche attacked his pink jersey on the 15th stage of the 1987 Giro d'Italia after Sappada. Unprecedented images followed: Carrera riders at the front of the peloton chasing their own man - after all, Visentini was considered the captain. Boifava also sent the second team car to the front to bring Roche to his senses. In vain.
Visentini had enormous talent, but also an unbalanced character that fluctuated between insecurity, cockiness and mistrust. He was respected within the team, but was also unpredictable. After losing a Giro in 1984, for example, Visentini sawed up his bike, brought the individual parts to the team and announced that he would never race again. This was not the only time that Boifava had to talk him down.
Roche had broken Visentini mentally with his attack at the Giro. Physically, Visentini might have been able to limit the gap, but mentally he was beaten: he lost 5:56 minutes to Roche. A few days later, he had to abandon the Giro after a crash. Visentini never rode at the top level again until the end of his career in 1990.
Roche later said that he had expected the team management to send him home for this action. After all, Tito Tacchella travelled to Sappada that same evening. However, the crisis meeting found a pragmatic solution: the potential Giro victory took precedence over loyalty to Visentini. Roche stayed in the race, but was booed, insulted and spat at by Italian fans on his way to victory. Roche, all winner type, didn't mind much though.
The end
Due to economic problems, the Tacchella family drew a line under their cycling commitment at the end of the 1996 season. Part of the squad, including Pantani, moved to the Mercatone Uno team in 1997. Another part joined Boifava's new team, sponsored by the sports equipment manufacturer Asics.
