Yellow resonated loudly at today’s Tinkoff-Saxo 2014 team launch in the stunning Anfi Tauro resort, Gran Canaria. Five-time Grand Tour winner Alberto Contador confirmed his ambitions to win his third yellow jersey at the Tour de France, while Sportful provided a striking new kit for the 20 riders in attendance. A Specialized custom Tinkoff-Saxo paintjob completes the yellow theme. Tinkoff Credit System and Saxo Bank are confirmed to be the main sponsors for 2014.
The Tinkoff-Saxo team looked fit, healthy and resplendent in canary yellow and flashes of blue, as they posed for the world’s press seven days into a pre-season camp, against the mountainous backdrop of one of Europe’s finest training destinations. And the team is set to grow even stronger over the next few seasons thanks to Oleg Tinkov’s recent purchase of the team.
With the Tour Down Under beginning this Sunday, seven riders, including Rory Sutherland, were absent, but that didn’t affect the team’s buoyant mood.
‘The atmosphere in the team is fantastic,’ says Contador. ‘We’re a very close group. Everyone’s clear what the main objectives are and we’re all heading in the same direction.’
Those ‘objectives’ include setting up Contador to challenge for the Tour de France and Vuelta titles. The 31-year-old Spaniard is looking to win his first Grand Tour since the Vuelta in 2012 and, according to sport director Bjarne Riis, ‘He looks very strong – certainly stronger than 12 months ago. We have a powerful team around him and we’re very hopeful of a memorable year.’
Contador’s preparations for attacking July’s Tour de France begin in February at the Tour of Algarve.
‘But it’s not exclusively about the Tour,’ says Riis. ‘We have many ambitions for 2014.’ Those include challenging for the Classics, specifically the Ardennes Classics like the Amstel Gold Race, which Tinkoff-Saxo’s Roman Kreuziger won in 2013.
‘I’m aiming to show strongly again in the Classics,’ says Kreuziger, ‘and then do well at the Tour of Switzerland. I’ll then support Alberto at the Tour and hopefully we can go better than [fourth] last year.’
It’s also a big year for Tinkoff-Saxo’s Nicolas Roche. The 29-year-old is currently recovering from a knee injury sustained in November but has just returned to training. While it’s disrupted his early-season plans, Roche remains confident of a challenging at the Giro d’Italia in May. ‘I’m looking to hit peak form for the Giro,’ says Roche. ‘It’s going to be a great atmosphere in Belfast and Dublin. The number of Irish supporting me at the Tour is incredible and I can’t wait to experience even greater support in Ireland.’
Tinkoff-Saxo features one of the strongest teams on the professional circuit. Other riders to watch out for in 2014 include Rafal Majka, Oliver Zaugg, Daniele Bennati and Matti Breschel.
The full roster of Tinkoff-Saxo riders for 2014 is:
Alberto Contador
Roman Kreuziger
Ivan Rovny
Oliver Zaugg
Matteo Tosatto
Bruno Da Silva Pires
Pawel Poljanski
Rafal Majka
Chris Anker Sørensen
Daniele Bennati
Michael Mørkøv
Matti Breschel
Nicolas Roche
Evgeny Petrov
Manuele Boaro
Karsten Kroon
Marko Kump
Jesper Hansen
Sergio Paulinho
Jesus Hernandez
Rory Sutherland
Christopher Juul
Jay McCarthy
Michael Valgren
Michael Kolar
Nicki Sørensen
Nikolay Trusov
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.