Riis happier after selling team to Tinkov

Bjarne Riis has told Cyclingnews that he is happier after selling his team to Oleg Tinkov for a reported €6 million and that he has every right to remain within the sport despite an ongoing doping investigation in his native Denmark.

Investigation

"Every year is different, with new riders coming in and others going out. That's how it is and the team has adapted well. I think we have a good core group again and it’s also the group that leads the philosophy of the team,” he said.

Although confident that Rafal Majka and Nicolas Roche can build on the strides they made in 2013 at this year’s Giro d’Italia, Riis is aware of the need to continue to strengthen the team around Contador.

Ultimately, however, Riis knows that much of the responsibility at Tinkoff-Saxo rests on the shoulders of Alberto Contador, who will have to carry the fight to Froome and Sky in July. “If Alberto is back to his best, then he'll win races,” Riis said.

 

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Join now for unlimited access

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.