Lance - Fondriest connection?

Simon Mason said:

Just been watching Lance's story on the Biography Channel and he was
pictured in the 1990's with a Fondriest road bike. As I ride one, I
was wondering did he ever ride them in competitions before he went to
Trek?

AFAIK Lance Armstrong started his professional career with Motorola, they
have always used Eddy Merckx bikes (like mine) or Caloi branded Merckx ones.

Simon Mason said:

Just been watching Lance's story on the Biography Channel
and he was pictured in the 1990's with a Fondriest road bike.
As I ride one, I was wondering did he ever ride them in
competitions before he went to Trek?

Maurizio Fondriest raced for Cofidis in 1997 and 1998, and was also their
frame sponsor. Armstrong signed to Cofidis for the '97 season, but his
cancer was diagnosed in late '96, and he never raced for them. He did
participate in publicity photographs for Cofidis however, and that may be
where you saw him pictured with a Fondriest.

James Thomson