Cycling: At the end of next season, cycling will lose one of its most polarizing figures of recent years: Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov will retire from professional cycling at the end of 2016 and will also sell his Tinkoff-Saxo team. The main reason is the stagnation in cycling and the great dependence on sponsors.
In an interview with the cycling news portal, the 47-year-old dropped the bomb today. "All driver and sponsorship deals are settled for 2016, but 2016 will be the last season for Tinkoff Bank and for me," like Tinkow. The reason for his withdrawal is not a lack of interest, but mainly a lack of willingness to reform cycling, the slavish dependence of the teams on sponsors and a reorientation in marketing at Tinkoff-Bank: “Tinkoff Bank has sponsored the team for five years and from a marketing point of view that's more than enough. We are not a global financial institution and the economic situation in Russia is not the best.”
But what really pisses the Russian off is what he sees as the crippling indifference of teams, drivers and officials when it comes to changes in the sport, particularly sponsorship and funding. “I realized that nobody wants to work with me when it comes to a new business model for cycling. I've had arguments with ASO and UCI over the past few years, I've tried to generate money with new TV contracts and boost merchandise sales, but nobody has supported me."
There is a lot of frustration in Tinkow's statements and he hardly takes any away from his criticism: “All the interviews with the big drivers – not once did I get any support for my ideas, not even from my own drivers. Maybe they don't even care. Dave Brailsford [Team Principal Team Sky, ed. Red.] is the only one who tried to help me. Also with Jonathan Vaughters [team boss Cannondale-Garmin, note d. Red.] I met a few times: in the restaurant he spits out big tones, but he never supported me.”
The Russian billionaire further compares himself to Don Quixote, who fights a lonely and hopeless battle against windmills. "If nobody else cares about the future of sport, why should I care? They can all do me! That's my personal reason why I don't feel like professional cycling anymore [...] I get on my plane, fly home, concentrate on my business and enjoy my life. All those who continue to be active in cycling are the ones who are up to their necks in shit.”
What happens to the team after 2016 is said to be of little interest to the current owner and team boss. "I don't care who buys the team. If Bjarne Riis wants it back, he should make an offer.” The only two drivers who have a contract for the 2017 season are Peter Sagan and Rafa Majka. "So whoever buys the team gets these two drivers at least for a season." But as it should be, the often eccentric Tinkow wants to say goodbye with a bang in 2016: “I am sure that 2016 will be our best season […] They are fighting for their own future. We're gonna be great and kick everyone's ass off."
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