Tinkoff (cycling team)

Last updated

Tinkoff
Logo Team Tinkoff.png
Team information
UCI codeTNK
RegisteredDenmark (1998–2013)
Russia (2014–2016)
Founded1998
Disbanded2016
Discipline(s) Road
Status UCI WorldTeam
Bicycles Specialized
Components Shimano
Website Team home page
Key personnel
General managerStefano Feltrin
Team manager(s) Steven de Jongh (Head Sports Director)
Bruno Cenghialta [1]
Tristan Hoffman [2]
Lars Michaelsen [3]
Nicki Sørensen [4]
Pino Toni [5]
Patxi Vila [6]
Sean Yates [6]
Team name history
1998–1999
2000
2001–2002
2003–2008
2008
2009–2010
2011
2012 (Jan–Jun)
2012 (Jun–Dec)
2013
2014–2015
2016
home–Jack & Jones
Memory Card–Jack & Jones
CSC–Tiscali
Team CSC
CSC–Saxo Bank
Team Saxo Bank
Saxo Bank–SunGard
Team Saxo Bank
Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank
Saxo–Tinkoff
Tinkoff–Saxo
Tinkoff
Tinkoff (cycling team) jersey Tinkoff jersey.png
Tinkoff (cycling team) jersey
Jersey

Tinkoff ( UCI team code:TNK) [7] was a Russian-registered professional cycling team from Russia and previously Denmark. It competed in the UCI World Tour. The team was owned by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis from 2000 until 2013 and Russian banker Oleg Tinkov from 2013 until it closed in 2016, who provided the team's last sponsor, Russian Tinkoff Bank. [8]

Contents

Founded in 1998 as home-Jack & Jones, the team started in cycling's second division. In 2000 it moved into the top division, now known as the UCI World Tour. Since 2000, under differing sponsor names (Memory Card–Jack & Jones and CSC–Tiscali), the team rode the Tour de France. It has won the overall classification in all three of the Grand Tours. In the 2008 Tour de France, Carlos Sastre won the general classification, Andy Schleck won the young rider classification, and the team won the overall team classification, and Ivan Basso won the 2006 Giro d'Italia, as well as finishing third and second in the 2004 and 2005 Tour de France. In addition, the team has won many major classics, including 6 Monuments.

The team won the UCI ProTour's team classification each year from 2005 through 2007, and the team classification in the 2010 UCI World Ranking.

In March 2015 the team confirmed that Riis had been removed from active duty due to differences between Riis and Tinkov. Media reports had initially indicated that Riis had been suspended when he did not appear at the 2015 Milan–San Remo as planned, and that this was due to a disappointing start to the season for the team. [9] His departure from the team was officially announced on 29 March. [10]

Philosophy

When Bjarne Riis took over in winter 2000, he hired the former Danish Ranger Corps soldier B. S. Christiansen as advisor and they gave CSC a distinct philosophy and training methods. [11] The team works with four values: communication, loyalty, commitment and respect, with the aim of improving teamwork. [12] The team rides for the rider in the best shape on the day, and separates the function of team captain (the rider making decisions) and team leader (the rider trying to win) to avoid pressure on a single rider. [13]

The team staff go on yearly outdoor education trips, physical challenges under pressure. According to B.S. Christiansen, the camps teach people "that they can achieve their goals by cooperating. They have to perform their very best under the worst possible circumstances, where every action has a consequence". [14] Bobby Julich, one of the riders, said that "those days in the bush bonded us much closer and given [sic] us the strategies to work as a team in any racing situation". [15]

History

The company behind the team, initially named Professional Cycling Denmark, was created in autumn 1996 by former amateur cycling world champion Alex Pedersen, Finn Poulsen (representing Bestseller), Torben Kølbæk and Johannes Poulsen (from Herning CK), and Bjarne Riis (then a Team Telekom rider). [16] The team was built on the team license of Danish amateur team Herning CK, with headquarters in Herning, Denmark, with the goal of being picked for the 2000 Tour de France.

home–Jack & Jones: 1998–1999

The team was assembled for 1998 with Alex Pedersen and Torben Kølbæk as sports directors. The team started with 11 riders, a mix of first-time professionals with Danish veterans Brian Holm and Jesper Skibby who had competed in the Tour de France several times, Skibby having won stage 5 in 1993. The main sponsors were a Danish real estate agency (home a/s), and a clothes manufacturer (Jack & Jones, a brand owned by Bestseller) and the budget was around €1,000,000 for 1998, including secondary sponsors. [17] The team rode its first season in 2nd Division races, and during the first month both Christian Andersen and Jesper Skibby had minor wins. Holm quit the team in April 1998.

The doping scandal in the 1998 Tour de France didn't affect the team directly, but Riis, who was part of the peloton in the Tour de France, was branded a doping cheat in the Danish media in early 1999. He sold his stock in Professional Cycling Denmark.

The team finished 32nd best of 1998, and with an increased budget of €2,400,000 combined, [18] the number of riders was increased to 14, with riders of a higher standard. In terms of races won, 1999 was the most successful season until 2005: with 26 UCI victories the team was promoted to the 1st Division. In September 1999 Belgian rider Marc Streel was tested with a hematocrit level of 53.4, a value above 50 being an indicator of EPO doping, and he was fired [19] Home stopped sponsoring the team from the end of the season, citing doping. [18]

Memory Card–Jack & Jones: 2000

For 2000, Memory Card A/S, a Danish producer of memory cards, stepped in as co-sponsor and Danish cyclist Bo Hamburger was brought in as captain. The 2000 season did not have as many wins as in 1999 but the calibre was higher and the team took part in the 2000 Tour de France.

In April 2000 Nicolai Bo Larsen was tested with a 51 hematocrit level, but wasn't fired, as he had been tested with a 47 level the day before. The morning after his result of 51, he again tested 47%. [20] However, the apparent double standards harmed its image in Denmark and Jack & Jones did not prolong sponsorship, despite Bo Larsen's later being acquitted of doping by a medical report. [21]

In fall 2000, Riis took over Professional Cycling Denmark and the team. After 2000 the contract with Jack & Jones expired, and Riis did not continue working with Memory Card due to their financial difficulties.

CSC–Tiscali: 2001–2002

CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) and the European Internet provider World Online took over as sponsors in a combined sponsorship of €4,500,000. [22] World Online was bought by the Italian telecom giant Tiscali and the team changed on 1 July 2001 to CSC-Tiscali.

In April 2001, Bo Hamburger tested positive with a newly developed method [23] which distinguished natural EPO from synthetic EPO used in doping by determining the percentage of basic EPO. The first test showed 82.3 which was above the maximum of 80 imposed by the UCI, but as his secondary tests showed both 82.4 and 78.6 he was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2002. [23] Bo Hamburger was released from his contract with CSC-Tiscali in September 2001.

The team gained international prominence after signing Laurent Jalabert before 2001, following his many years with the Spanish ONCE team of Manolo Saiz. Jalabert said that, "I wanted to retire with a French team, but nobody gave me a good offer, so I went with CSC instead". At the time, CSC was sponsored by the French bike manufacturer Look, which is associated with Jalabert. The team also signed American Tyler Hamilton, formerly of U.S. Postal. The 2001 season was a breakthrough with Jalabert's win of the King of the Mountains competition and a stage on Bastille Day at the Tour de France. The season ended with Jalabert winning the 2001 Clásica de San Sebastián.

In 2002 Hamilton came second in the Giro d'Italia despite a broken scapula. The team also nearly won the team time trial at the 2002 Tour de France, thwarted by a flat tire. Jalabert again won the King of the Mountains and repeated his victory at the Clásica de San Sebastián. He retired at the end of the season.

Team CSC: 2003–2008

Team CSC, 2004 Tour de France CSC team 2004 TDF.jpg
Team CSC, 2004 Tour de France

In 2003, Riis changed Professional Cycling Denmark to Riis Cycling. Tiscali ceased sponsorship, and Riis Cycling was unable to find a new co-sponsor, hence the team changed CSC-Tiscali to Team CSC and continued 2003 on a reduced budget. The headquarters moved from Herning to the headquarters of one of the sponsors, the Danish insurance company Alm. Brand in Lyngby, a Copenhagen suburb.

Hamilton stepped up to be the team leader in 2003, with the goal of winning the Tour de France. He won Liège–Bastogne–Liège and was in form when he broke his collarbone in a pile-up on stage 1 of the Tour. He lost a lot[ quantify ] of time. He made it up by winning a stage and finishing fourth, while his teammates Carlos Sastre and Jakob Piil also won stages.

In 2004 Hamilton switched to the Swiss team, Phonak, citing lack of support from Riis.[ citation needed ] The team brought on Ivan Basso from Fassa Bortolo to join Carlos Sastre in competing for Grand Tour wins. Basso had been a former winner of the maillot blanc in 2002. In the 2004 Tour de France, Team CSC had a very successful Tour, with Basso winning a mountain stage and reaching the podium in Paris with his third place finish. Bjarne Riis and Team CSCs efforts in the 2004 Tour were made into the cycling movie Overcoming.

Christian Muller (left), Linus Gerdemann (middle) and Jens Voigt at the 2005 German Time Trial Championship CSC DM-Mannheim Herren 2005-06-26.jpg
Christian Müller (left), Linus Gerdemann (middle) and Jens Voigt at the 2005 German Time Trial Championship

Following an off-season marred by financial difficulties that resulted in wage cuts for a number of riders, [24] the 2005 spring season was the strongest yet for CSC, with wins by Julich and Jens Voigt. Julich's victory in Paris–Nice made him the first rider to wear the leader's jersey in the new UCI ProTour. This was followed by three team stage wins in the Giro d'Italia, one by David Zabriskie and two by Basso, though the overall victory escaped from Basso when he was beset by a stomach ailment.

Midway through the 2005 Tour de France, CSC extended sponsorship until 2008 [25] at a higher level, enabling Riis to renew the contract with Basso for an additional three years. Basso got second place in the tour and Zabriskie won in the prologue. Julich won the Eneco Tour and Carlos Sastre came second. Nicki Sørensen won a stage of the Vuelta a España. Team CSC won the 2005 ProTour, with Julich as the #8 ranked individual rider of the year, the highest placed rider in the team.

Until 2009, the team used Cervélo bikes and Shimano components. The arrangement with the small Canadian manufacturer worked well for CSC, as Cervélo's strength is time-trials, at which CSC has specialists.

2006 season

In 2006, with sponsorship for several years, the focus was to win all three Grand Tours, with Ivan Basso riding both Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, and Carlos Sastre the Vuelta a España. [26] They had come second in the 2005 in the Tour and Vuelta, respectively. The team had several time trialists, including Zabriskie, who had won time trials at the Giro and the Tour, Julich, as well as Fabian Cancellara. Others included Jens Voigt and Stuart O'Grady from Australia, the only sprinter name in the team. [27]

The first victory of the 2006 UCI ProTour season was in the prologue of Paris–Nice by Julich. The spring was plagued with injuries hitting a third of the team, most notably O'Grady. [28] Cancellara won the time trial at Tirreno–Adriatico and then Paris–Roubaix. Fränk Schleck won the Amstel Gold Race a week later.

Team CSC surprised by announcing [29] that Sastre would ride the Giro as helper for Basso, that he would ride all three Grand Tours. 2005's winner Paolo Savoldelli was strongest in the first stages, and Jan Ullrich took a surprise win in the time trial ahead of Basso, but Basso dominated with three wins on mountain finishes and in the team time trial. Basso won by 9'18''.

On 30 June 2006, the Tour de France announced that Basso would not ride the 2006 Tour after apparent involvement in the Operación Puerto doping scandal. Sastre took over as captain and was the strongest in the favorite group on the last mountain stages, but a poor last time trial placed him fourth overall. The team scored two stage wins, the most impressive Fränk Schleck's win on Alpe d'Huez. Voigt had already won a flat stage after a long break.

The autumn was dominated by the Basso's involvement in Operación Puerto. His contract was cancelled by mutual consent, [30] and the case against Basso was eventually dropped by the Federazione Ciclistica Italiana for lack of evidence, [31] but without him authorizing a DNA test that could have cleared him conclusively. Basso adamantly denied being involved. (On 7 May 2007 Basso admitted involvement in Operación Puerto). [32] Team CSC have since started an ambitious anti-doping program [33] together with the Danish anti-doping expert Rasmus Damsgaard. Meanwhile, on the road, Voigt dominated the Deutschland Tour, winning overall and three stages, including a mountain finish and a time trial. Sastre came fourth in the Vuelta after starting in the lead when CSC won the initial team time trial. It was Sastre's fifth Grand Tour in a row.

2007 season

New rider Juan José Haedo gave the team a good start by winning early minor races. The classics season was a success by having O'Grady win Paris–Roubaix. Voigt managed to defend his victory in Tour of Germany. CSC won the UCI ProTour team competition for the third year in a row.

Sastre had a team dedicated to him for the Vuelta, while the team for the Tour was support riders and riders who could make individual results. This left the Giro without a clear rider for the general classification. Instead a youthful team was chosen, with the hope that Andy Schleck might win the youth competition. He won the youth competition and came second overall .

For the Tour, Cancellara followed up a strong showing in the Tour de Suisse with two stage wins and seven days in the yellow jersey. But doping returned when the race hit the mountains. Alexander Vinokourov tested positive and leader Michael Rasmussen was withdrawn by his team for "internal code violations". Sastre finished fourth.

For the Vuelta, Sastre again lost time in time trials, especially the first, but climbed to second place.

Because of the team's link to drug use (Riis admitted doping, and Basso was suspended until 2008), MAN Trucks dropped co-sponsorship midway through 2007. [34]

CSC–Saxo Bank: 2008

CSC announced [35] that they would not renew the contract in spring 2008, meaning Riis Cycling A/S would need a new main sponsor from 2009. Mid-June, Riis Cycling A/S announced [36] that Saxo Bank had entered a three-year contract as name sponsor, with immediate effect, so the team entered the 2008 Tour de France as Team CSC Saxo Bank. Carlos Sastre, having taken a lead of about two minutes on the final climb of L'Alpe D'Huez, [37] won the Tour, and the team took the team classification.

Team Saxo Bank: 2009–2010

Andy Schleck, riding for Team Saxo Bank during the 2010 Tour de France Andy Schleck, 2010 Tour de France, Stage 9.jpg
Andy Schleck, riding for Team Saxo Bank during the 2010 Tour de France

It was announced 28 September 2008 that for 2009, IT Factory would be co-sponsor. [38] However, the company went into receivership some two months thereafter. [39] The team also began riding Specialized bicycles for the 2009 season. [40]

Saxo Bank–SunGard: 2011

Although Saxo Bank had previously announced that 2010 would be the last year they would sponsor the team along with SunGard as secondary sponsor. [41] The 2011 name for the team was announced in August 2010 as Team Saxo Bank–SunGard, and the signing of 2 time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador on a two-year contract was also revealed. [42] On 29 July 2010, Andy Schleck and his brother Fränk announced their departure from the team effective from the start of the 2011 season. [43]

On 16 November 2011 it was announced that SunGard would no longer be a title sponsor after 2011. [44]

Saxo–Tinkoff & Tinkoff–Saxo: 2012

2012

On 25 June 2012 it was announced that the Russian Tinkoff Bank would join the team as co-sponsors for the rest of the 2012 season and through to the end of 2013. Saxo Bank also renewed their sponsorship through 2013, with the team's name thus becoming Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank. [45] [46]

Alberto Contador returned from his doping suspension and won the General classification of the 2012 Vuelta a España This marked the first overall Grand Tour win since Andy Schleck's retroactive victory of the 2010 Tour de France.

2013

Following the 2013 season Oleg Tinkov purchased the team from manager Bjarne Riis with the team renamed Tinkoff-Saxo. [47]

2014

In March, the team announced the signing of Colombian rider Edward Beltrán on a 2-year contract, Beltran was promoted from Tinkoff-Saxo's affiliate amateur team, Nankang–Fondriest, [48]

2015

Alberto Contador won the 2015 Giro d'Italia for the team. Giro 2015 contador.jpg
Alberto Contador won the 2015 Giro d'Italia for the team.

For the 2015 season the team announced the major signing of Peter Sagan on a three-year contract, as well as: [49] Pavel Brutt, [50] Ivan Basso. [51] and Robert Kišerlovski. [52]

In March 2015 the team confirmed that Riis had been removed from active duty due to differences between Riis and Tinkov. Media reports had initially indicated that Riis had been suspended when he did not appear at the 2015 Milan–San Remo as planned, and that this was due to a disappointing start to the season for the team. [9] Later that month it was announced that Riis' contract had been terminated with the agreement of both parties. [53] Subsequently the team revealed its new management structure, with Riis' former duties being carried out by new general manager Stefano Feltrin and Steven de Jongh, who was promoted to the role of head sport director. [54]

In a December 2015 interview, Tinkov announced that he would sell the team at the end of the 2016 season, citing on the one hand a business decision to redirect Tinkoff Bank's marketing budget from sports sponsorship to TV advertising from 2017, and on the other a lack of support from other teams from his proposed reforms to the sport's business model. [55]

2016

In February 2016 Tinkov said that although he was "happy to talk to any buyer", he expected that the most likely outcome for the team would be its disbanding at the end of the year. [56] However in July 2016 he said that he was planning to return to the sport after "a few seasons off", once Chris Froome retires from competition, with the aim of winning the Tour de France. [57]

Final roster (2016)

As of 29 March 2016
RiderDate of birth
Flag of Italy.svg  Davide Ballerini [N 1]  (ITA) (1994-09-21)21 September 1994 (aged 21)
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Erik Baška  (SVK) (1994-01-12)12 January 1994 (aged 22)
Flag of Italy.svg  Daniele Bennati  (ITA) (1980-09-24)24 September 1980 (aged 35)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Adam Blythe  (GBR) (1989-10-01)1 October 1989 (aged 26)
Flag of Italy.svg  Manuele Boaro  (ITA) (1987-03-12)12 March 1987 (aged 29)
Flag of Poland.svg  Maciej Bodnar  (POL) (1985-03-07)7 March 1985 (aged 31)
Flag of Russia.svg  Pavel Brutt  (RUS) (1982-01-29)29 January 1982 (aged 34)
Flag of Spain.svg  Alberto Contador  (ESP) (1982-12-06)6 December 1982 (aged 33)
Flag of Italy.svg  Lorenzo Fortunato [N 2]  (ITA) (1996-05-09)9 May 1996 (aged 19)
Flag of Italy.svg  Oscar Gatto  (ITA) (1985-01-01)1 January 1985 (aged 31)
Flag of Austria.svg  Michael Gogl  (AUT) (1993-11-04)4 November 1993 (aged 22)
Flag of Denmark.svg  Jesper Hansen  (DEN) (1990-10-23)23 October 1990 (aged 25)
Flag of Spain.svg  Jesús Hernández  (ESP) (1981-09-28)28 September 1981 (aged 34)
Flag of Croatia.svg  Robert Kišerlovski  (CRO) (1986-08-09)9 August 1986 (aged 29)
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Michael Kolář  (SVK) (1992-12-21)21 December 1992 (aged 23)
RiderDate of birth
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Roman Kreuziger  (CZE) (1986-05-06)6 May 1986 (aged 29)
Flag of Poland.svg  Rafał Majka  (POL) (1989-09-12)12 September 1989 (aged 26)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Jay McCarthy  (AUS) (1992-09-08)8 September 1992 (aged 23)
Flag of Italy.svg  Andrea Montagnoli [N 3]  (ITA) (1995-07-27)27 July 1995 (aged 20)
Flag of Portugal.svg  Sérgio Paulinho  (POR) (1980-03-26)26 March 1980 (aged 36)
Flag of Russia.svg  Evgeni Petrov  (RUS) (1978-05-25)25 May 1978 (aged 37)
Flag of Poland.svg  Paweł Poljański  (POL) (1990-05-06)6 May 1990 (aged 25)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Michael Rogers [N 4]  (AUS) (1979-12-20)20 December 1979 (aged 36)
Flag of Russia.svg  Ivan Rovny  (RUS) (1987-09-30)30 September 1987 (aged 28)
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Juraj Sagan  (SVK) (1988-12-23)23 December 1988 (aged 27)
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Peter Sagan  (SVK) (1990-01-26)26 January 1990 (aged 26)
Flag of Italy.svg  Matteo Tosatto  (ITA) (1974-05-14)14 May 1974 (aged 41)
Flag of Russia.svg  Yuri Trofimov  (RUS) (1984-01-26)26 January 1984 (aged 32)
Flag of Russia.svg  Nikolay Trusov  (RUS) (1985-07-02)2 July 1985 (aged 30)
Flag of Denmark.svg  Michael Valgren  (DEN) (1992-02-07)7 February 1992 (aged 24)
  1. ↑ Ballerini joined the team on 1 August as a stagiaire, from Hopplà Petroli Firenze.
  2. ↑ Fortunato joined the team on 1 August as a stagiaire, from Hopplà Petroli Firenze.
  3. ↑ Montagnoli joined the team on 1 August as a stagiaire, from Hopplà Petroli Firenze.
  4. ↑ Rogers retired from cycling on April 25.

Major wins

National, continental and world champions

1999

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Nicolaj-Bo Larsen
MaillotBelgica.PNG Belgian Time Trial, Marc Streel

2000

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Bo Hamburger
MaillotLetonia.PNG Latvian Road Race, Arvis Piziks

2001

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Blaudzun
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Jakob Piil

2002

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Michael Sandstød

2003

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Blaudzun
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Nicki Sørensen

2004

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Michael Blaudzun

2005

MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Michael Blaudzun
MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG Luxembourg Time Trial, Andy Schleck
MaillotRusia.PNG Russian National Time Trial, Vladimir Gusev
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Lars Bak
MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG Luxembourg Road Race, Fränk Schleck

2006

MaillotAustria.PNG Austrian Time Trial, Peter Luttenberger
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Brian Vandborg
MaillotNoruega.PNG Norwegian Time Trial, Kurt Asle Arvesen
MaillotSuiza.PNG Swiss Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
MaillotUSA.PNG USA Time Trial, David Zabriskie

2007

MaillotSuiza.PNG Swiss Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara

2008

MaillotSuiza.PNG Swiss Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Time Trial, Lars Bak
MaillotDinamarca.svg Danish Road Race, Nicki Sørensen
MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG Luxembourg Road Race, Fränk Schleck
MaillotNoruega.PNG Norwegian Road Race, Kurt Asle Arvesen

2010

MaillotSuecia.PNG Sweden Time Trial, Gustav Larsson
MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Time Trial, Jakob Fuglsang
MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG Luxembourg Time Trial, Andy Schleck
MaillotPolonia.PNG Poland Time Trial, Jarosław Marycz
MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Road Race, Nicki Sørensen
MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG Luxembourg Road Race, Fränk Schleck
Jersey rainbow chrono.svg World Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Track (Madison), Alex Rasmussen
MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Track (Madison), Michael Mørkøv

2011

MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Road Race, Nicki Sørensen

2013

MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Road Race, Michael Mørkøv

2014

MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Road Race, Michael Valgren

2015

MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Time Trial, Christopher Juul-Jensen
MaillotSlovakia.svg Slovak Time Trial, Peter Sagan
MaillotSlovakia.svg Slovak Road Race, Peter Sagan
MaillotDinamarca.svg Denmark Road Race, Chris Anker Sørensen
Jersey rainbow.svg World Road Race, Peter Sagan

2016

MaillotPolonia.PNG Poland Time Trial, Maciej Bodnar
MaillotReinoUnido.PNG England Road Race, Adam Blythe
MaillotPolonia.PNG Poland Road Race, Rafał Majka
MaillotRepublicaCheca.PNG Czech Road Race, Roman Kreuziger
MaillotSlovakia.svg Slovak Road Race, Juraj Sagan
UEC Champion Jersey.svg European Road Race, Peter Sagan
Jersey rainbow.svg World Road Race, Peter Sagan

Staff

Sports directors

NameBornNationalityPreviousEnter
Fabrizio Guidi 1972Flag of Italy.svg ItalyRoad bicycle racer2011
Tristan Hoffman 1970Flag of the Netherlands.svg NetherlandsRider for Team CSC Saxo Bank2011

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Carlos Sastre Candil is a former Spanish professional road bicycle racer and winner of the 2008 Tour de France. He consistently achieved outstanding results in the Vuelta a España and in the Tour de France. Sastre established himself as a strong and stable climbing specialist, and after working to improve his individual time trial skills, he became a contender for the top GC spots in the Grand Tours. In total, Sastre finished in the top ten of fifteen Grand Tours during his career, and finished on the podium of each of them. Sastre never tested positive for drugs, nor was he implicated in any doping investigation, even though he performed at the top level of cycling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danmark Rundt</span> Road cycling race in Denmark

Danmark Rundt is a Danish multi-day professional road cycling race. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, PostNord, and the race is therefore also known as PostNord Danmark Rundt. The race is sometimes called the Tour of Denmark in English language media. The race has been on the UCI ProSeries calendar since 2021, after being cancelled in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volodymir Gustov</span> Ukrainian cyclist

Volodymir Gustov is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTeam Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank. He began his career in 2000 with Italian team Fassa Bortolo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Schleck</span> Luxembourgish former road bicycle racer

Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He has also been the runner-up at the Tour twice; in 2009 and 2011. He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, also a professional rider between 2003 and 2016. Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cervélo</span> Canadian bicycle manufacturer

Cervélo Cycles is an American manufacturer of racing and track bicycles. Cervélo uses CAD, computational fluid dynamics, and wind tunnel testing at a variety of facilities including the San Diego Air and Space Technology Center, in California, US, to aid its designs. Frame materials include carbon fibre. Cervélo currently makes 5 series of bikes: the C series and R series of road bikes, the latter featuring multi-shaped, "Squoval" frame tubes; the S series of road bikes and P series of triathlon/time trial bikes, both of which feature airfoil shaped down tubes; and the T series of track bikes. In professional competition, cyclists have ridden Cervélo bicycles to victory in all three of road cycling's grand tours: the Tour de France; the Giro d'Italia; and the Vuelta a España.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Contador</span> Spanish professional cyclist

Alberto Contador Velasco is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice, the Giro d'Italia twice, and the Vuelta a España three times. He is one of only seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours of cycling, and one of only two riders to have won all three more than once. He has also won the Vélo d'Or a record 4 times.

Tinkoff Credit Systems was a professional continental cycling team based in Italy that had UCI Professional Continental status, raced in UCI Continental Circuits races and when selected as a wildcard to UCI ProTour events. The team was financed by Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov.

Sport in Denmark is diverse. The national sport is running, but club sport is football with the most notable results being qualifying for the European Championships six times in a row (1984–2004) and winning the Championship in 1992. Other significant achievements include winning the Confederations Cup in 1995 and reaching the quarter final of the 1998 World Cup. Other popular sports include handball, esports, cycling, sailing sports, badminton, ice hockey, swimming, and recently also golf. A few youths also play basketball.

Luigi Cecchini is an Italian sports doctor who is active in road bicycle racing. He is well known as a maker of training schemes that he writes for his clients as well as for the use of the SRM cycle computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katusha–Alpecin</span> Former Russian/Swiss cycling team

Katusha–Alpecin was a Russian road bicycle racing team which competed at the UCI WorldTeam level using Canyon bikes. The team was created in 2008 by Igor Makarov, an ex-professional cyclist and entrepreneur. In 2017 the team took a broader international direction, still supported by Igor Makarov's company ARETI International Group, Swiss clothing company Katusha Sports and German shampoo manufacturer Alpecin. The team competed as a UCI ProTeam/WorldTour team between 2009 and 2019. Joaquim Rodríguez, Alexander Kristoff, Daniel Moreno, Simon Špilak, Filippo Pozzato, Luca Paolini, Ilnur Zakarin and Tony Martin are some of the most successful riders who rode for Katusha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fränk Schleck</span> Luxembourgish cyclist

Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for Team Saxo Bank and Trek–Segafredo. Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, Johny Schleck, was a professional road bicycle racer between 1965 and 1974, as was their grandfather, Gustave Schleck, who contested events in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lidl–Trek (men's team)</span> American cycling team

Lidl–Trek is a professional road bicycle racing team at UCI WorldTeam level licensed in the United States. Formerly RadioShack–Nissan, in 2014, Trek took over the ownership of the team and its ProTeam License.

The 2014 season for Tinkoff–Saxo began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI ProTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.

The 2015 season for Tinkoff–Saxo began in January with the Tour Down Under. As a UCI WorldTeam, they were automatically invited and obligated to send a squad to every event in the UCI World Tour.

References

  1. ↑ "Bruno Cenghialta". Tinkoff-Saxo. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Tristan Hoffman". LinkedIn . Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Lars Michaelsen". Tinkoff-Saxo. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Tinkoff-Saxo presents Nicki Sørensen as new sport director and coach". Tinkoff-Saxo. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Giuseppe "Pino" Toni". Tinkoff-Saxo. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Tinkoff-Saxo confirms Julich, Healey, Yates and Vila". cyclingnews.com . 13 February 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Road – Teams" . Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Riis Cycling to have new title sponsor in 2009 Archived 5 June 2012 at archive.today at Team-CSC
  9. 1 2 "Tinkoff-Saxo confirm Riis suspension". cyclingnews.com . 24 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Hood, Andrew (29 March 2015). "Tinkoff-Saxo, Bjarne Riis part ways". Velonews. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  11. ↑ Andrew Rogers, PEZ Interviews: Bjarne Riis, PezCycling, 22 February 2006
  12. ↑ Our Values Archived 5 June 2012 at archive.today at Team-CSC
  13. ↑ Werge (2005) , p. 177
  14. ↑ Bjarne's boot camp, CyclingNews, 12 December 2004
  15. ↑ Andrew Rogers, Bobby Julich: Another PEZ-Zing, PezCycling, 9 March 2006
  16. ↑ Werge (2005) , pp. 15–17
  17. ↑ Werge (2005) , p. 25; figure translated from Danish kroner
  18. 1 2 Half a million dollars needed in Denmark, CyclingNews, 23 September 1999
  19. ↑ Werge (2005) , p. 87
  20. ↑ Werge (2005) , pp. 91–93
  21. ↑ Danish Cycling Federation, Nicolaj Bo Larsen, CyclingWorld, 22 December 2003
  22. ↑ Werge (2005) , p. 148; (figure translated from Danish kroner)
  23. 1 2 (in Danish) Avis: Hamburger testet positiv i 1999, Danmarks Radio , 11 September 2005
  24. ↑ Werge (2005) , p. 173
  25. ↑ CSC RENEWS SPONSORSHIP OF TOP CYCLING TEAM Archived 22 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine , Computer Sciences Corporation , 18 July 2005
  26. ↑ Team Team CSC (CSC) – DEN Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine , UCI, 2006
  27. ↑ de Wielersite. "CSC 2006". cyclingwebsite.net. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  28. ↑ Alhan Keser, O'Grady goes broke, Eurosport , 10 March 2006
  29. ↑ Sastre in Giro line-up Archived 5 June 2012 at archive.today , Team CSC, 2006
  30. ↑ "Ivan Basso To Leave Team CSC". Team CSC. 18 October 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  31. ↑ Brown, Gregor; Maloney, Tim (27 October 2006). "Basso officially cleared in Operación Puerto". CyclingNews. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
  32. ↑ "Basso admits role in doping scandal". Archived from the original on 9 May 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  33. ↑ "Team CSC Launches Anti Doping Program". Team CSC. 13 November 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
  34. ↑ "Yahoo! Sports – Sports News, Scores, Fantasy Games". Yahoo! Sports.[ permanent dead link ]
  35. ↑ "Riis Cycling to have new title sponsor in 2009". Archived from the original on 5 June 2012.
  36. ↑ "Riis Cycling signs Sponsorship Agreement with Saxo Bank". Archived from the original on 13 June 2011.
  37. ↑ "Sastre wins the 2008 L'Alpe d'Huez stage – VeloNews". Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  38. ↑ cyclingnews. "Team Saxo Bank- IT Factory sponsor declares bankruptcy". Bicikel.com. Retrieved 8 December 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  39. ↑ "Main Team CSC-Saxo Bank sponsor goes bust". Politiken. December 2008.
  40. ↑ "Specialized Bicycle Components". specialized.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009.
  41. ↑ "Team Saxo Bank". Archived from the original on 16 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  42. ↑ Stephen Farrand & Tomas Nilsson (3 August 2010). "Contador to ride with Riis in 2011". Cyclingnews.com.
  43. ↑ Devaney, Jason. "Schlecks Confirm Departure from Saxo Bank." Universal Sports – Cycling. 30 July 2010.
  44. ↑ "Archived". Dagbladet Børsen. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2023.[ dead link ]
  45. ↑ Susan Westemeyer (25 June 2012). "Tinkoff Bank announced as co-sponsor to Saxo Bank". Cyclingnews.com.
  46. ↑ "Tinkoff returns to cycling as Team Saxo Bank co-sponsor through 2013". velonation.com.
  47. ↑ Stephen Farrand (2 December 2013). "Tinkov buys Saxo-Tinkoff team from Riis". Cyclingnews.com.
  48. ↑ "Beltran signs for Tinkoff-Saxo". Cyclingnews.com. 10 March 2014.
  49. ↑ "Sagan signs with Tinkoff-Saxo". Cyclingnews.com. 8 August 2014.
  50. ↑ "Professional cycling 2014–2015 Transfer Index". Cycling Weekly. 7 August 2014.
  51. ↑ "Report: Basso signs two-year deal with Tinkoff-Saxo". Cyclingnews.com. 19 August 2014.
  52. ↑ "Kiserlovski signs for Tinkoff-Saxo". Cyclingnews.com. 30 August 2014.
  53. ↑ "Team Tinkoff-Saxo terminate contract of manager Bjarne Riis". The Guardian . 29 March 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  54. ↑ Ryan, Barry (3 April 2015). "De Jongh and Feltrin to share Riis' former duties at Tinkoff-Saxo". cyclingnews.com . Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  55. ↑ Farrand, Stephen (12 December 2015). "Exclusive: Tinkov to leave cycling after 2016 season". cyclingnews.com . Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  56. ↑ Farrand, Stephen (25 February 2016). "Tinkov plays down the chances of selling his team structure to the Bahrain Cycling Team". cyclingnews.com . Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  57. ↑ "Tinkov: I'll come back and win the Tour de France when Froome has gone". cyclingnews.com . 24 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.

Bibliography

  • Werge, Lars (2005). Drømmeholdet – historien om CSC. Ekstra Bladets forlag. ISBN   87-7731-206-6.
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