Tinkoff () was a Russian-registered professional
cycling team
A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important in road bicycle racing
Road ...
from Russia and previously Denmark. It competed in the
UCI World Tour
The UCI WorldTour (2009–2010: ''UCI World Ranking'') is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an ann ...
. The team was owned by Russian
Oleg Tinkov
Oleg Yuryevich Tinkov (russian: Олег Юрьевич Тиньков; born 25 December 1967) is a Russian-born Cypriot entrepreneur and businessman.
Tinkov is the founder of a network of shops of household appliances ''Technoshock'', frozen f ...
and, from 1999 until March 2015, was managed by former
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
winner
Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (; born 3 April 1964), nicknamed ''The Eagle from Herning'' ( da, Ørnen fra Herning), is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France. For many years he was the owner and lat ...
. The team was sponsored by the Russian
Tinkoff Bank, a credit systems company.
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
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its reg ...
,
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil (; born 22 April 1975) 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 establ ...
won the
general classification,
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) 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 f ...
won the
young rider classification, and the team won the overall
team classification The team classification is one of the different rankings for which competitors can compete in a multiple stage cycling race. It differs from the other usual rankings (general classification, points, king of the mountain and best young rider competi ...
, and
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...
won the
2006 Giro d'Italia
The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in the Belgian city of Seraing with a individual time trial. The race came to a close with a mass-start road stage that stretched from ...
, as well as finishing third and second in the
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
and
2005 Tour de France
The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 2–24 July, with 21 stages covering a distance . It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong origin ...
. In addition, the team has won many major classics, including 6 Monuments.
The team won the
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, e ...
'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
The 2015 Milan–San Remo was a one-day cycling classic that took place in Italy on 22 March. The race was the 106th edition of the Milan–San Remo. It was the fourth of the 28 races on the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI) 2015 World Tou ...
as planned, and that this was due to a disappointing start to the season for the team.
His departure from the team was officially announced on 29 March.
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. The team works with four values: communication, loyalty, commitment and respect, with the aim of improving teamwork. 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.
The team staff go on yearly
outdoor education
Outdoor education is organized learning that takes place in the outdoors. Outdoor education programs sometimes involve residential or journey wilderness-based experiences in which students participate in a variety of adventurous challenges and out ...
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".
Bobby Julich
Robert Julich ( ), popularly called Bobby Julich, (born on November 18, 1971, in Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American former professional road bicycle racer who last rode for Team CSC in the UCI ProTour racing series. He got his international ...
, one of the riders, said that "those days in the bush bonded us much closer and given
icus the strategies to work as a team in any racing situation".
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
A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, co ...
), Torben Kølbæk and Johannes Poulsen (from
Herning CK
Herning Cykle Klub (or Herning CK) is an amateur road bicycle racing club, located in Herning, Denmark, and founded April 11, 1937 on initiative by E.V.Johansen, with Poul Schmidt as chairman.
A number of the best Danish professional riders, i ...
), and Bjarne Riis (then a
Team Telekom rider). The team was built on the team license of Danish amateur team Herning CK, with headquarters in
Herning
Herning () is a Danish town in the Central Denmark Region of the Jutland peninsula. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Herning Municipality. Herning has a population of 50,565 (1 January 2022)[Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...]
, 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
Brian Holm Sørensen (born 2 October 1962) is a retired Danish professional rider in road bicycle racing from 1986 to 1998, who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 1997 and was part of the team that brought his fellow Dane Bjarne Riis to victory ...
and
Jesper Skibby
Jesper Skibby (born 21 March 1964 in Silkeborg, Denmark) is a retired professional road racing cyclist. He won at least one stage at each of the major tours. He was one of the most popular in Denmark, not only because of his talent, but also be ...
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
Bestseller A/S is a privately held family-owned clothing and accessories company founded in Denmark in 1975. The company provides affordable fashion for women, men and children. They market their products in 70 markets across most of Europe, th ...
, a brand owned by Bestseller) and the budget was around
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...
1,000,000 for 1998, including secondary sponsors. 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
The 1998 Tour de France was the 85th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race was composed of 21 stages and a prologue. It started on 11 July in Ireland before taking an anti-clockwise route through France to finis ...
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,
[Half a million dollars needed in Denmark](_blank)
''CyclingNews'', 23 September 1999 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
Marc Streel (born 12 August 1971 in Waremme) is a Belgian former racing cyclist.
Major results
;1993
:2nd Overall Tour de Liège
;1994
:3rd Duo Normand (with Peter Verbeken)
;1996
:1st Flèche Hesbignonne
:1st Stage 3 Tour de Picardie
:2nd B ...
was tested with a
hematocrit level of 53.4, a value above 50 being an indicator of
EPO doping, and he was fired Home stopped sponsoring the team from the end of the season, citing doping.
Memory Card-Jack & Jones: 2000
For 2000,
Memory Card A/S, a Danish producer of
memory card
A memory card is an electronic data storage device used for storing digital information, typically using flash memory. These are commonly used in digital portable electronic devices. They allow adding memory to such devices using a card in a so ...
s, stepped in as co-sponsor and Danish cyclist
Bo Hamburger
Bo Hamburger (born 24 May 1970 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish former professional road racing cyclist. He retired in 2006.
Biography
After ending his career, Hamburger started a building company and a bike shop. He was the leading directeur spor ...
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
Nicolaj Bo Larsen (born 10 November 1971 in Roskilde) is a Danish former professional cyclist, who currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . He is most notable for winning a stage of the 1996 Giro d'Italia and winning the ...
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%. 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.
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
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) was an American multinational corporation that provided information technology (IT) services and professional services. On April 3, 2017, it merged with the Enterprise Services line of business of HP Ente ...
) and the European Internet provider World Online took over as sponsors in a combined sponsorship of €4,500,000. 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
[Avis: Hamburger testet positiv i 1999]
''Danmarks Radio
DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...
'', 11 September 2005 which distinguished natural EPO from synthetic EPO used in doping by determining the percentage of
basic
BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages designed for ease of use. The original version was created by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College ...
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
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its ...
(CAS) in 2002.
Bo Hamburger was released from his contract with CSC-Tiscali in September 2001.
The team gained international prominence after signing
Laurent Jalabert
Laurent Jalabert (born 30 November 1968) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, from 1989 to 2002.
Affectionately known as ''"Jaja"'' (slang for a glass of wine; when he continued drinking wine as a professional, the nickname stuck ...
before 2001, following his many years with the Spanish
ONCE
Once means a one-time occurrence.
Once may refer to:
Music
* ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten''
* ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper
* ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...
team of
Manolo Saiz
Manuel "Manolo" Saiz Balbás (born 16 October 1959 in Torrelavega, Cantabria) is the former team manager of one of the most successful Spanish professional road bicycle racing teams, first called Team ONCE, then Liberty Seguros-Würth, Astana ...
. 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
Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racer. He is the only American rider to win one of the five Monuments of cycling, taking Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2003. Hamilton became a professional cycli ...
, formerly of
U.S. Postal. The 2001 season was a breakthrough with Jalabert's win of the
King of the Mountains
The King of the Mountains (KoM) is an award given to the best climbing specialist in a men's cycling road race; in women's cycle racing, Queen of the Mountains (QoM) is used.
While the title may be given to the rider who achieves the highest ...
competition and a stage on
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...
at the Tour de France. The season ended with Jalabert winning the 2001
Clásica de San Sebastián
The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the m ...
.
In 2002 Hamilton came second in the
Giro d'Italia despite a broken
scapula
The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eith ...
. The team also nearly won the
team time trial
A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events).
The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...
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
![CSC team 2004 TDF](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/CSC_team_2004_TDF.jpg)
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
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
Alm. Brand
Alm. Brand (until 2002 Alm. Brand af 1792) is a Danish financial services group operating within the markets for non-life, life and pension insurance.
History
The company was founded in 1792 and its activities were originally limited to mutual ...
in
Lyngby
Kongens Lyngby (, Danish for "the King's Heather Town"; short form Lyngby) is the seat and commercial centre of Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark. Lyngby Hovedgade is a busy shopping street and the site of ...
, a
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
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
Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five '' Monuments'' of the European professional ...
and was in form when he broke his
collarbone
The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the right ...
in a pile-up on stage 1 of the Tour. He lost a lot of time. He made it up by winning a stage and finishing fourth, while his teammates
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil (; born 22 April 1975) 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 establ ...
and
Jakob Piil
Jakob Storm Piil (born 9 March 1973) is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer, where he later lived many years in Odense. He is an all-round rider, known for his aggressive style of riding, whose speciality is to pick the right breakawa ...
also won stages.
In 2004 Hamilton switched to the
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
team,
Phonak
Sonova Holding AG (Phonak Holding AG before 1 August 2007) is an internationally active Swiss group of companies headquartered in Stäfa that specializes in hearing care ( hearing instruments, cochlear implants, wireless communication). The Sono ...
, citing lack of support from Riis. The team brought on Ivan Basso from
Fassa Bortolo
Fassa Bortolo (2000–2005) was a professional road bicycle racing team founded in 2000 and led by Giancarlo Ferretti. Dubbed the 'Silver Team', it managed to be one of the most successful teams of the era, not in the least due to top sprinter ...
to join Carlos Sastre in competing for Grand Tour wins. Basso had been a former winner of the
maillot blanc
The maillot (; ''Oxford English Dictionary'' 3rd Ed. (2003)) is the fashion designer's name for a woman's one-piece swimsuit, also called a tank suit. A maillot swimsuit generally consists of a tank-style torso top with high-cut legs. However, ...
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''.
![CSC DM-Mannheim Herren 2005-06-26](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/CSC_DM-Mannheim_Herren_2005-06-26.jpg)
Following an off-season marred by financial difficulties that resulted in wage cuts for a number of riders, the 2005 spring season was the strongest yet for CSC, with wins by Julich and
Jens Voigt
Jens Voigt (; born 17 September 1971) is a German former professional road bicycle racer and, upon retirement, became a cycling sports broadcast commentator. During his cycling career, Voigt raced for several teams, the last one being UCI ProTe ...
. Julich's victory in
Paris–Nice
Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...
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
David Zabriskie (born January 12, 1979) is a retired professional road bicycle racer from the United States, who competed as a professional between 1999 and 2013. His main strength is individual time trials and his career highlights include stage ...
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 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
The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the orig ...
and
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil (; born 22 April 1975) 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 establ ...
came second.
Nicki Sørensen
Nicki Sørensen (born 14 May 1975) is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer, and was directeur sportif of UCI Professional Continental team . He competed in five consecutive editions of the Tour de France from 2001 to 2005. Riding as a ...
won a stage of the
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
. 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
Cervélo Cycles is a Canadian 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, ...
bikes and
Shimano
, originally and later , is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company for cycling components, fishing tackles and rowing equipment, who also produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008. Named after founder Shozaburo ...
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
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
, and Carlos Sastre the
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...
. 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
Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...
. Others included Jens Voigt and
Stuart O'Grady
Stuart O'Grady (born 6 August 1973) is a retired Australian professional road bicycle racer, who rode as a professional between 1995 and 2013. A former track cyclist, O'Grady and Graeme Brown won a gold medal in the Men's Madison at the 2004 ...
from Australia, the only sprinter name in the team.
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. Cancellara won the time trial at
Tirreno–Adriatico
Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...
and then
Paris–Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Monuments' or classics of the ...
.
Fränk Schleck
Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for and . Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, ...
won the
Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classic ...
a week later.
Team CSC surprised by announcing that Sastre would ride the Giro as helper for Basso, that he would ride all three Grand Tours. 2005's winner
Paolo Savoldelli
Paolo Savoldelli (born 7 May 1973 in Clusone, province of Bergamo) is a former Italian road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia.
Savoldelli was a climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is nicknamed ''Il F ...
was strongest in the first stages, and
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich (; born 2 December 1973) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. Ullrich won gold and silver medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Sydney. He won the 1999 Vuelta a España and the HEW Cyclassics in fro ...
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,
and the case against Basso was eventually dropped by the Federazione Ciclistica Italiana for lack of evidence,
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).
Team CSC have since started an ambitious anti-doping program
together with the Danish anti-doping expert Rasmus Damsgaard. Meanwhile, on the road, Voigt dominated the
Deutschland Tour
The Deutschland Tour (English: ''Tour of Germany'' and sometimes ''Deutschland-Rundfahrt'' in German) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June, but from 2005 until 2008 it was moved t ...
, 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
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
in a row.
2007 season
New rider
Juan José Haedo
Juan José Haedo (born 26 January 1981) is an Argentine former professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2014. He is the brother of Lucas Sebastián Haedo.
Haedo started his career on the tr ...
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
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) 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 f ...
might win the youth competition. He won the youth competition and came second overall .
For the
Tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
, Cancellara followed up a strong showing in the
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
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.
CSC-Saxo Bank: 2008
CSC announced 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 that
Saxo Bank
Saxo Bank is a Danish investment bank specializing in online trading and investment. It was founded as a brokerage firm in 1992, under the name Midas Fondsmæglerselskab (English: ''Midas Stockbroker Company''), by Lars Seier Christensen, Kim F ...
had entered a three-year contract as name sponsor, with immediate effect, so the team entered the
2008 Tour de France
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its reg ...
as Team CSC Saxo Bank.
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil (; born 22 April 1975) 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 establ ...
, having taken a lead of about two minutes on the final climb of L'Alpe D'Huez, won the Tour, and the team took the team classification.
Team Saxo Bank: 2009–2010
![Andy Schleck, 2010 Tour de France, Stage 9](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Andy_Schleck%2C_2010_Tour_de_France%2C_Stage_9.jpg)
It was announced 28 September 2008 that for 2009,
IT Factory
Stein Bagger (born January 20, 1967) is a Danish convicted criminal, former entrepreneur, former CEO of IT Factory. Before bankruptcy of IT Factory and a subsequent fraud scandal, he was named "Danish Entrepreneur of the Year" by Ernst & Young, a ...
would be co-sponsor. However, the company went into
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...
some two months thereafter. The team also began riding
Specialized bicycles for the 2009 season.
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. 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
Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vue ...
on a two-year contract was also revealed. On 29 July 2010,
Andy Schleck
Andy Raymond Schleck (; born 10 June 1985) 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 f ...
and his brother
Fränk announced their departure from the team effective from the start of the 2011 season.
On 16 November 2011 it was announced that SunGard would no longer be a title sponsor after 2011.
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.
Alberto Contador returned from his doping suspension and won the General classification of the
2012 Vuelta a España
The 2012 Vuelta a España started on 18 August 2012 and was the 67th edition of the race. The race began in Pamplona with a team time trial and ended on 9 September, as traditional, in Madrid. The 2012 edition saw the return of the Bola del Mundo ...
This marked the first overall Grand Tour win since Andy Schleck's retroactive victory of the
2010 Tour de France
The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996 ...
.
2013
Following the 2013 season Oleg Tinkov purchased the team from manager Bjarne Riis with the team renamed Tinkoff-Saxo.
2014
In March, the team announced the signing of Colombian rider
Edward Beltran on a 2-year contract, Beltran was promoted from Tinkoff-Saxo's affiliate amateur team, Nankang–Fondriest,
2015
![Giro 2015 contador](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Giro_2015_contador.jpg)
For the 2015 season the team announced the major signing of
Peter Sagan
Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...
on a three-year contract, as well as:
Pavel Brutt
Pavel Aleksandrovich Brutt (russian: Павел Александрович Брутт; born 29 January 1982) is a Russian former professional track and road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2017 for six different teams.
Ca ...
,
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...
. and
Robert Kiserlovski
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
.
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
The 2015 Milan–San Remo was a one-day cycling classic that took place in Italy on 22 March. The race was the 106th edition of the Milan–San Remo. It was the fourth of the 28 races on the Union Cycliste Internationale's (UCI) 2015 World Tou ...
as planned, and that this was due to a disappointing start to the season for the team.
Later that month it was announced that Riis' contract had been terminated with the agreement of both parties. 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.
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.
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. However in July 2016 he said that he was planning to return to the sport after "a few seasons off", once
Chris Froome
Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...
retires from competition, with the aim of winning the Tour de France.
Final roster (2016)
Major wins
National, continental and world champions
1999
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Nicolaj-Bo Larsen
:
![MaillotBélgica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/MaillotB%C3%A9lgica.PNG)
Belgian Time Trial, Marc Streel
2000
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Bo Hamburger
:
![MaillotLetonia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/MaillotLetonia.PNG)
Latvian Road Race, Arvis Piziks
2001
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Blaudzun
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Jakob Piil
2002
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Michael Sandstød
2003
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Blaudzun
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Nicki Sørensen
2004
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Sandstød
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Michael Blaudzun
2005
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Michael Blaudzun
:
![MaillotLuxemburgo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG)
Luxembourg Time Trial, Andy Schleck
:
![MaillotRusia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/MaillotRusia.PNG)
Russian National Time Trial, Vladimir Gusev
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Lars Bak
:
![MaillotLuxemburgo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG)
Luxembourg Road Race, Fränk Schleck
2006
:
![MaillotAustria](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/MaillotAustria.PNG)
Austrian Time Trial, Peter Luttenberger
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Brian Vandborg
:
![MaillotNoruega](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/MaillotNoruega.PNG)
Norwegian Time Trial, Kurt Asle Arvesen
:
![MaillotSuiza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/MaillotSuiza.PNG)
Swiss Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
:
![MaillotUSA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/MaillotUSA.PNG)
USA Time Trial, David Zabriskie
2007
:
![MaillotSuiza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/MaillotSuiza.PNG)
Swiss Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
2008
:
![MaillotSuiza](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/MaillotSuiza.PNG)
Swiss Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Time Trial, Lars Bak
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Danish Road Race, Nicki Sørensen
:
![MaillotLuxemburgo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG)
Luxembourg Road Race, Fränk Schleck
:
![MaillotNoruega](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/MaillotNoruega.PNG)
Norwegian Road Race, Kurt Asle Arvesen
2010
:
![MaillotSuecia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/MaillotSuecia.PNG)
Sweden Time Trial, Gustav Larsson
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Time Trial, Jakob Fuglsang
:
![MaillotLuxemburgo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG)
Luxembourg Time Trial, Andy Schleck
:
![MaillotPolonia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/MaillotPolonia.PNG)
Poland Time Trial, Jarosław Marycz
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Road Race, Nicki Sørensen
:
![MaillotLuxemburgo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/MaillotLuxemburgo.PNG)
Luxembourg Road Race, Fränk Schleck
:
![Jersey rainbow chrono](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Jersey_rainbow_chrono.svg)
World Time Trial, Fabian Cancellara
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Track (Madison), Alex Rasmussen
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Track (Madison), Michael Mørkøv
2011
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Road Race, Nicki Sørensen
2013
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Road Race, Michael Mørkøv
2014
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Road Race, Michael Valgren
2015
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Time Trial, Christopher Juul-Jensen
:
![MaillotSlovakia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/MaillotSlovakia.svg)
Slovak Time Trial, Peter Sagan
:
![MaillotSlovakia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/MaillotSlovakia.svg)
Slovak Road Race, Peter Sagan
:
![MaillotDinamarca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/MaillotDinamarca.svg)
Denmark Road Race, Chris Anker Sørensen
:
![Jersey rainbow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Jersey_rainbow.svg)
World Road Race, Peter Sagan
2016
:
![MaillotPolonia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/MaillotPolonia.PNG)
Poland Time Trial, Maciej Bodnar
:
![MaillotReinoUnido](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/MaillotReinoUnido.PNG)
England Road Race, Adam Blythe
:
![MaillotPolonia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/MaillotPolonia.PNG)
Poland Road Race, Rafał Majka
:
![MaillotRepúblicaCheca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/MaillotRep%C3%BAblicaCheca.PNG)
Czech Road Race, Roman Kreuziger
:
![MaillotSlovakia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/MaillotSlovakia.svg)
Slovak Road Race, Juraj Sagan
:
![UEC Champion Jersey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/UEC_Champion_Jersey.svg)
European Road Race, Peter Sagan
:
![Jersey rainbow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Jersey_rainbow.svg)
World Road Race, Peter Sagan
Staff
Sports directors
References
Bibliography
*
External links
{{good article
Former UCI WorldTeams
Defunct cycling teams based in Denmark
Defunct cycling teams based in Russia
Cycling teams established in 1998
Cycling teams disestablished in 2016
1998 establishments in Denmark
2016 disestablishments in Russia