Tinkoff team owner Oleg Tinkov points to his Peter Sagan shirt after his rider won stage 2 and took the yellow jersey
Oleg Tinkov has a message for his detractors(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Oleg Tinkov steals the limelight at sign on(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Oleg Tinkov and Team Sky's David Brailsford at the 2016 Tour de France
Oleg Tinkov holds up the yellow jersey(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Oleg Tinkov is shutting down his Tinkoff team at the end of this season but he has vowed to return to the sport in the future and win the Tour de France - a race that has slipped through his fingers since his Tinkoff project began.
After "a few seasons off I'll come back with a new big project," he told sporza.be.
He has not yet achieved his biggest goal, "to win the Tour de France but as long as Chris Froome is there, it will not happen. I'm waiting for the end of the Froome-age to get back in the peloton. But one thing is certain: I will come back to win the Tour."
It won't be right away, though. "I'm going to rest for a few seasons and relax with my family in Russia, but then I'll come back with new big product."
Despite not winning the overall title, Tinkov is satisfied with his team's performance. "I'm very pleased with our Tour. We had three days in yellow, three stage wins, the polka dot jersey and the green jersey. I could not expect more from my last Tour."
Star rider Peter Sagan is riding the Olympic Games this summer and will miss the final Grand Tour of the season, the Vuelta a Espana. Alberto Contador, however, is set to return from injury and lead the team in his quest for a fourth Vuelta win.
"Peter's value to the team is so great that he did not have to ask permission to ride the Olympics and the mountain bike race. It means he will miss the Vuelta but that does not really matter. With Alberto Contador we have other targets in Spain. Sagan will ride in Canada and even there he could win. Two in a row at the World Championships? That would certainly be very nice."
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