Katusha–Alpecin (russian: Катюша, ) was a Russian (later Swiss) road bicycle racing team which competed at the

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

level using Canyon

bikes A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

. The team was created in 2008 by Igor Makarov within the framework of the previously established Russian Global Cycling Project, which was intended to help boost cycling in Russia. In 2017 the team took an international direction, still supported by Igor Makarov's company ARETI International Group, clothing company Katusha Sports and German shampoo manufacturer Alpecin. The team competed as a UCI ProTeam/WorldTour team between 2009 and 2019.

Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver (born 12 May 1979) is a former Spanish professional road racing cyclist, who competed between 2001 and 2016 for the , , and teams. Rodríguez recorded notable results included fourteen Grand Tour stage victories, an ...

Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan ...

, Daniel Moreno, Simon Špilak,

Filippo Pozzato Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato (born 10 September 1981) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2018 for the , , , , , , and two spells with the / teams. A northern classics specialist, Pozzato finished in se ...

Luca Paolini Luca Paolini (born 17 January 1977) is an Italian former road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2015. He started his sports career in the early 2000s by joining (2000–2002), UCI ProTeam directed by Patrick Lefevere. With ...

, Ilnur Zakarin and Tony Martin are some of the most successful riders who rode for Katusha. In 2019, the team was taken over by Israel Cycling Academy, along with its UCI World Tour license.

History

The cycling project was launched on December 22, 2008, when Team Katusha was formed in Moscow. It was formed from the structure of

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 ...

's Tinkoff Credit Systems. The team was practically organised by the Russian Global Cycling Project foundation, which itself is funded by Russian businesses such as Gazprom,

Itera ARETI International Group of Companies is a private energy company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ARETI was created by Igor Makarov in 2015 as a result of rebranding of Itera International Group of Companies, which was started in 1992. T ...

and Rostechnologii.Renamed Tinkoff Credit System squad undergoes major expansion
Stokes, Shane; Cyclingnews.com; 16 July 08; Accessed 19 January 2009 The team was launched with a budget of over . In its first official season it signed leading cyclists such as

Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen (born 24 June 1972) is an Australian former professional road cyclist. McEwen is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world's fastest sprinter. He la ...

Vladimir Karpets Vladimir Alexandrovich Karpets (russian: Владимир Александрович Карпец) (born 20 September 1980 in Leningrad) is a Russian road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTeam . Karpets is most notable for winning the whi ...

and Gert Steegmans. The team first raced at the

2009 Tour Down Under The 2009 Tour Down Under was the 11th edition of the Tour Down Under cycling stage race, taking place over 20–25 January in and around Adelaide, South Australia. The Tour Down Under was the first race outside Europe to be given ProTour status ...

. During the 2009 season, the team earned 23 wins. Some of the notable wins were

Sergei Ivanov Sergei Borisovich Ivanov ( rus, Сергей Борисович Иванов, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈrʲisəvʲɪtɕ ɪvɐˈnof; born 31 January 1953) is a Russian senior official and politician who has served as the Special Representative of ...

’s Amstel Gold victory,

's Italian road title and triumph at

Giro del Veneto The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. The race is a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2012 the race merged with another Italian classic, Coppa Placci The Coppa Placci is a semi cla ...

. After the 2012 season, Katusha lost their

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 ...

license, despite having in their ranks the champion of the 2012 season (

) and finishing the 2012 UCI World Tour team rankings in second position. The team appealed that decision before 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 c ...

and it was announced on 15 February 2013 that the decision of the UCI was overturned and that Katusha would be part of the

2013 UCI World Tour The 2013 UCI World Tour is the fifth edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The series started with the Tour Down Under on 22 January. __TOC__ Teams The UCI ProTeams compete in the World Tou ...

. Its most successful season was 2015 when the team took victories in the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and orga ...

, Gent-Wevelgem,

Scheldeprijs The Scheldeprijs is a cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten. Until 2018 it was held entirely in Belgium. The event, ranked as a 1.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour, ...

and GP Ouest France – Plouay, as well as overall wins in the

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'', es, Vuelta al País Vasco, links=no, eu, Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual road cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races ...

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 ...

and

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...

and stage wins in 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 ...

, Tour of Italy and Tour of Spain. During the 2017 season, two staff members were videotaped dumping the team RV's septic system in a parking lot off the highway at the Amgen Tour of California. The California Highway Patrol and race organizers were informed of the incident and the waste was later professionally removed. The pair were suspended and sent home from the race. In October 2019, Israel Cycling Academy completed the takeover of Katusha–Alpecin, including its World Tour license.

Doping

In March 2009, Christian Pfannberger tested positive for EPO and was banned for life. In April of the same year Antonio Colom tested positive for EPO. In 2011, a number of police searches led by the Padova authorities were conducted in Italy during April. The searches were linked to a broader doping investigation linked to

Michele Ferrari Michele Ferrari (born 26 March 1953) is an Italian physician, cycling coach and author, who is mostly known for his role in supplying bicycle racers with performance-enhancing drugs, notably EPO. His most famous client was Lance Armstrong. Biog ...

. Katusha riders Vladimir Gusev, Mikhail Ignatiev,

and Alexandr Kolobnev were searched. Later in July, Kolobnev tested positive for

Hydrochlorothiazide Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic medication often used to treat high blood pressure and swelling due to fluid build-up. Other uses include treating diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis and to decrease the risk of kidney stones in ...

(HCT) on stage 5 of the

2011 Tour de France The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of the race. It started on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and ended on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July. The cyclists competed in 21 stages over 23 days, covering a distance of . The route e ...

. Two weeks later Kolobnev's B-sample returned a positive for HCT. In April 2012, Denis Galimzyanov tested positive for EPO in an out of competition test. Galimzyanov later admitted to taking the banned substance. In June 2012

admitted to using the services of Dr Ferrari from 2004 to 2009. In July 2015,

tested positive for

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

(Benzoylecgonine metabolite) in a sample given on July 7 during the 2015 Tour de France. As a result, the team withdrew Paolini from the Tour de France. A month later, in August, Giampaolo Caruso returned an EPO positive from a sample taken in March 2012, which had been subsequently retested due to advances in detecting technology. He was suspended by the team awaiting testing of his B-sample. In February 2016,

Eduard Vorganov Eduard Vorganov (born 7 December 1982) is a Russian professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI Continental team . In 2012, Vorganov won the Russian National Road Race Championships. On 5 February 2016, he was suspended for a positi ...

tested positive for the newly WADA-banned compound

Meldonium Meldonium (INN; trade name Mildronate, among others) is a limited-market pharmaceutical, developed in 1970 by Ivars Kalviņš at the USSR Latvia Institute of Organic Synthesis, and now manufactured by the Latvian pharmaceutical company Gri ...

. Due to the frequency of doping positives, the teams faced a potential 15- to 45-day ban.

Final roster

Major wins

Since the creation of Team Katusha in 2009, its riders have won many races. As of January 2017, these included 28 stages in

Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...

and four

cycling monument The Monuments are five classic cycle races generally considered to be the oldest, hardest and most prestigious one-day events in men's road cycling. They each have a long history and specific individual characteristics. They are currently the one- ...

s: the 2012 and 2013 Il Lombardia were won by

, and the 2014 Milan–San Remo and the

2015 Tour of Flanders The 2015 Tour of Flanders ( nl, 2015 Ronde van Vlaanderen) was the 99th edition of the Tour of Flanders one-day cycling race. It took place on 5 April and was the eighth race of the 2015 UCI World Tour. The race was one of the cobbled classics ...

were won by

Sponsorship

In 2019, sponsors Alpecin and Canyon bikes confirmed that they were ending their sponsorship of the team, with Israel Cycling Academy buying the Katusha–Alpecin management company from Russian oligarch and UCI Management Committee member Igor Makarov.

National champions

;2009 :

Italian Road Race,

Russian Road Race,

;2010 :

Moldovan Road Race, Alexandre Pliuschin : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race, Alexandre Kolobnev : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial, Vladimir Gusev ;2011 : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race,

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 ...

Russian Time Trial, Mikhail Ignatiev : MaillotBielorrusia

Belarusian Road Race,

Aleksandr Kuschynski Aleksandr Kuschynski (born October 27, 1979) is a Belarusian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2015 for the , , , and teams. Kuschynski was a three-time winner of the Belarusian National Road Race C ...

Moldovan Road Race, Alexandre Pliuschin ;2012 : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race,

Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial,

Denis Menchov Denis Nikolayevich Menchov (russian: Денис Николаевич Меньшов; born 25 January 1978) is a former professional Russian road bicycle racer, who rode as a professional between 2000 and 2013. He was best known as a general clas ...

;2013 :

Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race, Vladimir Isaichev ;2014 : MaillotLetonia

Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial,

Anton Vorobyev Anton Gennadyevich Vorobyev (russian: Антон Геннадьевич Воробьёв; born 12 October 1990) is a Russian cyclist, who last rode for UCI Professional Continental team . In 2012, he became the World Under-23 time trial champion ...

Russian Road Race,

Alexander Porsev Alexander Nikolayevich Porsev (born 21 February 1986) is a Russian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2019, for and . Major results ''Sources'': ;2008 : 5th La Roue Tourangelle : 5th Grand Prix of ...

;2015 :

Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race,

Yuri Trofimov Yuri Viktorovich Trofimov (russian: Юрий Викторович Трофимов; born 26 January 1984 in Igra, Udmurt Republic, Soviet Union) is a Russian former road cyclist and mountain biker, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2018 for ...

Austrian Road Race, Marco Haller ;2016 : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial, Sergey Chernetskiy : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race,

Pavel Kochetkov Pavel Sergeyevich Kochetkov (russian: Павел Сергеевич Кочетков; born 7 March 1986 in Kamensk-Uralsky) is a Russian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . On 5 March 2014, he fractured his collarbone after a low-flyin ...

;2017 :

Russian Time Trial, Ilnur Zakarin : MaillotAlemania

German Time Trial, Tony Martin : UEC Champion Jersey

European Road Race,

;2019 :

British Time Trial, Alex Dowsett

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katusha-Alpecin Former UCI WorldTeams Cycling teams established in 2009 Cycling teams based in Russia 2009 establishments in Russia Cycling teams based in Switzerland Cycling teams established in 2017 2017 establishments in Switzerland 2019 disestablishments in Switzerland Cycling teams disestablished in 2019