Team Tinkoff Credit Systems technical sponsor is Ernesto Colnago and it was only fitting that on the Giro's final stage practically the whole squad had lined up to make sure their teammate Mikhail Ignatiev would win the Trofeo Garibaldi, the special sprint prize, with its "line drawn right in front of the gates of my factory - it was a pleasure to see three Tinkoff rider's on my bikes taking all the points," said Colnago to Tinkoff's Press Officer Sergey Kurdyukov.
Colnago continued to stress the "good relationship with Russian cycling for decades. You can bet this new team will win a lot more in the future."
Team president Oleg Tinkov was also "happy with the performance despite the fact that a stage victory was not achieved."
His hopes are that his team earned some recognition and popularity due to their attacking style. With Ignatiev winning two prizes and Petrov finishing seventh overall they aren't quite empty-handed, either. Because "we live only 20 km apart, in Siberia," Petrov's successes carry special meaning for Tinkoff.
While the squad is young, eight out of nine riders made it to Milano. Only 19 year-od Ivan Rovny was excused after two weeks. "We didn't want to burn him out prematurely."
Tinkoff is hopeful that Mikhail Ignatiev will win a stage next year and points out that "even Mario Cipollini spoke highly about Ignatiev's and Trusov's turn of speed."
Of Pavel Brutt, who had a different focus this time around, Oleg Tinkoff thinks "he will develop into a good rider for stage races."
He expressed his satisfaction with the Italian and Spanish riders as well and already looks forward to the June racing, with the team time trial in Eindhoven and the national championships.
