Katusha–Alpecin
 | ||
| Team information | ||
|---|---|---|
| UCI code | KAT | |
| Registered |
Russia (2009–2016) Switzerland (2017– ) | |
| Founded | 2009 | |
| Discipline | Road | |
| Status |
UCI ProTeam (2009–2012) UCI Professional Continental (Jan 2013–Feb 2013) UCI WorldTeam (2013–) | |
| Bicycles | Canyon | |
| Components | SRAM | |
| Website | Team home page | |
| Key personnel | ||
| General manager | Viatcheslav Ekimov | |
| Team manager(s) | José Azevedo | |
| Team name history | ||
| 2009–2016 2017– |
Team Katusha Katusha–Alpecin | |
| ||
Katusha–Alpecin (Russian: Катюша, UCI team code: KAT) is a Russian road bicycle racing team which competes using Canyon bikes.[1] Team Katusha competed as a UCI ProTeam between 2009 and 2012. In January 2013 the team was granted a Pro Continental licence, however in February 2013 the Court of arbitration for sport ruled that the team had to be granted a World Tour licence. On February 18 the UCI confirmed there would be 19 teams in the 2013 UCI World Tour.[2]
History
The cycling project was launched in very end of 2008, when on December 22 a new Katusha Team was inaugurated in Moscow.[3] The team was created on the base of Tinkoff Credit Systems squad and practically organised by the Russian Global Cycling Project foundation, which itself is funded by Russian businesses such as Gazprom, Itera and Rostechnologii.[4]
The team was launched with a large budget of over €15 million.[4] In its first official season it signed leading cyclists such as Robbie McEwen, Vladimir Karpets, Filippo Pozzato, and Gert Steegmans.[5] The team first raced at the 2009 Tour Down Under.
During the 2009 season, the team earned 23 wins. Some of the notable wins were Sergei Ivanov’s Amstel Gold victory, Filippo Pozzato's Italian road title and triumph at Giro del Veneto.[6]
After the 2012 season, Katusha lost their UCI World Tour license, despite having in their ranks the champion of the 2012 season (Joaquim Rodríguez) and finishing the 2012 UCI World Tour team rankings in second position.[7] The team appealed that decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport 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.[8]
Doping
In March 2009 Christian Pfannberger tested positive for EPO[9] and was banned for life.[10] In April the same year Antonio Colom tested positive for EPO.[11]
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. Katusha riders; Vladimir Gusev, Mikhail Ignatiev, Vladimir Karpets and Alexandr Kolobnev were searched.[12] Later in July, Kolobnev tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) on stage 5 of the 2011 Tour de France.[13][14] Two weeks later Kolobnevs B-sample returned a positive for HCT.[15]
In April 2012 Denis Galimzyanov tested positive for EPO in an out of competition test.[16] Galimzyanov later admitted to taking the banned substance.[17] In June 2012 Filippo Pozzato admitted to using the services of Dr Ferrari from 2004 to 2009.[18]
In July 2015, Luca Paolini tested positive for cocaine (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.[19] 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.[20]
In February 2016, Eduard Vorganov tested positive for the newly WADA-banned compound, Meldonium. Due to the frequency of doping positives, the teams faces a potential 15- to 45-day ban.[21]
Team roster
- As of 29 March 2016.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
Major results
Since the creation of Team Katusha in 2009, its riders have won many races. As of April 2014, these included 19 stages in Grand Tours and two cycling monuments, the 2014 Milan–San Remo and the 2015 Tour of Flanders.
National champions
- 2009
Italian Road Race, Filippo Pozzato
Russian Road Race, Sergei Ivanov- 2010
Moldovan Road Race, Alexandre Pliuschin- Russian Road Race, Alexandre Kolobnev
- Russian Time Trial, Vladimir Gusev
- 2011
- Russian Road Race , Pavel Brutt
- Russian Time Trial, Mikhail Ignatiev
Belarusian Road Race, Aleksandr Kuschynski- Moldovan Road Race, Alexandre Pliuschin
- 2012
- Russian Road Race, Eduard Vorganov
Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis- Russian Time Trial, Denis Menchov
- 2013
- Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis
- Russian Road Race, Vladimir Isaichev
- 2014
- Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis
- Russian Time Trial, Anton Vorobyev
- Russian Road Race, Alexander Porsev
- 2015
- Latvian Time Trial, Gatis Smukulis
- Russian Road Race, Yuri Trofimov
Austrian Road Race, Marco Haller
References
- ↑ "Katusha Team + Canyon: a way to the top". Team Katusha. Katusha Management S.A. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ↑ Cycling News. "UCI confirms 19 WorldTour teams for 2013". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ Katusha presented on home soil Cyclingnews; 24 December 2008; Accessed 16 July 2011
- 1 2 Renamed Tinkoff Credit System squad undergoes major expansion Stokes, Shane; Cyclingnews.com; 16 July 08; Accessed 19 January 2009
- ↑ Russian team Katusha unveiled in Moscow AFP; France24.com; 24 December 2008; Accessed 19 January 2009
- ↑ Pozzato wins Giro del Veneto Cyclingnews; 29 August 2009; Accessed 16 July 2011
- ↑ Gregor Brown (10 December 2012). "Saxo-Tinkoff in, Katusha out of UCI WorldTour". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Sports & Leisure network. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ↑ Shane Stokes (15 February 2013). "Katusha wins CAS appeal over WorldTour licence, UCI ruling overturned". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
- ↑ Daniel Simms. "Pfannberger's B-Sample positive for EPO". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ Susan Westemeyer. "Lifelong ban for Pfannberger after second doping violation". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ Telegraph staff and agencies (9 June 2009). "Antonio Colom suspended after positive EPO test". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ↑ "Padova searches . Dopeology". dopeology.org.
- ↑ "BBC Sport - Alexandr Kolobnev suspended after B sample tests positive". BBC Sport.
- ↑ "Tour de France 2011: Alexandr Kolobnev of the Katusha team fails dope test". Telegraph.co.uk. 11 July 2011.
- ↑ Cycling News. "Kolobnev's B sample also positive for hydrochlorothiazide". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ Cycling News. "Denis Galimzyanov returns positive test for EPO". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ "Galimzyanov admits EPO use, absolves Katusha". VeloNews.com.
- ↑ Cycling News. "Pozzato to front CONI anti-doping prosecutor today". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ Cycling News. "Paolini informed of cocaine positive at Tour de France". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ Cycling News. "Giampaolo Caruso returns positive EPO test". Cyclingnews.com.
- ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/katushas-eduard-vorganov-provisionally-suspended-by-uci-for-doping-violation/
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Team Katusha. |
