Following its first sponsorship in sports in 1975, Teka pursued a new challenge in 1976: support Spanish cycling. José Gómez Casuso, Teka manager, was the agent of change as he did already with the handball GD Teka Santander team. After meeting the cyclist and huge cyclist supporter Santiago Revuelta, both decided to create the GD (Grupo Deportivo, Sport club). The team headquarters were in Cantabria, and the team expanded until its peak in the 80s.
Grupo Deportivo Teka firsts years
The team found its way into the Spanish cycling races, gaining recognition. In 1977, they won the Vuelta a España in the team category, along with other races such as the Vuelta a Cantabria, Lérida, and Levante. They began to be regularly in the cycling scene and started signing national and local cyclists and international ones. Names like the Spanish Julián Anddiano or the Portuguese Joaquim Agostinho found their place and secured victories with the Teak team.
Década de los años 80
The early 1980s saw the takeoff of the GD Teka. In fact, cycling followers look back on these years with certain nostalgia because Spain began to be well-known in international competitions. It was an exciting time for the sport, and many supporters emerged during this decade. Many of the most renowned cyclists achieved their triumphs then and in the 1990s. Teka was a good example of these golden years. In 1982, the now-famous Marino Lejarreta won the Vuelta a España with the Teka logo on his outfit. But his teammates had already obtained victories in other races, and new signings followed. Noël Dejonckheere or Reimund Dietzen were some of them, and subsequently, the team brought in experienced riders from Colombia for the first time in Spanish cycling, such as Edgar Corredor.
By the mid-1980s, GD Teka’s significance in cyclism was clear, and they had one of the highest national budgets. The GD achieved several victories in national competitions, including the Vuelta a España as a team in 1984. In 1986, GD Teka was chosen as the Best Professional Team of the Year, and by then, they had the largest team in the team’s history. Their participation in the Tour de France in the following years also resulted in victories on different stages.
The arrival of the 90s brought several events that led to the end of the relationship between Teka and the team. The GD Teka secured more than 500 victories throughout its history and featured some essential names in national cycling, such as Marino Lejarreta, Peio Ruiz Cabestany, Eduardo Chozas, Miguel María Lasa, and Marino Alonso.