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ONCE (cycling team)
Spanish cycling team / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ONCE cycling team, (UCI team code: ONC) also known as Liberty Seguros, Liberty Seguros–Würth and in succession in its final year, Astana–Würth and Astana was a Spanish cycling team. It competed in the UCI ProTour circuit.
![]() The team at the 1993 Tour de France | |
Team information | |
---|---|
UCI code | ONC |
Registered | Spain |
Founded | 1989 (1989) |
Disbanded | 2006 |
Discipline(s) | Road |
Status | ProTour |
Key personnel | |
General manager | Manolo Saiz |
Team name history | |
1989–1998 1999–2000 2001–2003 2004 2005–2006 2006 2006 2006 | ONCE ONCE–Deutsche Bank ONCE–Eroski Liberty Seguros Liberty Seguros–Würth Würth Team Astana–Würth Team Astana Team |
On 25 May 2006, Liberty Mutual ("seguros" means "insurance" in Spanish) pulled out of primary sponsorship due to a doping scandal involving the directeur sportif, Manolo Saiz. On 2 June 2006, the team acquired a primary sponsor named Astana, after the capital of Kazakhstan. Würth was co-sponsor until 3 July 2006, withdrawing at the end of the 2006 Tour de France, in which Astana–Würth didn't compete . At the end of the season, Astana also withdrew due to the non-participation in the Tour. On 16 December 2006, the UCI withdrew the ProTour licence of Saiz's company, Active Bay .
Some riders and staff formed the Kazakhstan-based Astana Team.