Tinkov: I respect Brailsford but stories of me sponsoring Team Sky are bullshit

08 February 2019 10:39
Oleg Tinkov has labelled reports that he tried to sponsor Team Sky as "bullshit", telling Cyclingnews that he is "not planning to come back to cycling in any format". In a series of text messages he also said "I am enjoying my life building www.latdatcha.com", his luxury holiday home business.  News broke on Friday morning, with Spanish newspaper AS reporting that Tinkov had offered Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford in the region of 20 million Euros to sponsor the British WorldTour team. "I have been talking sometimes with Dave over messages, since my departure," Tinkov said. ADVERTISEMENT "I gave him my support during his 'tough times', he is an absolute star! I respect him a lot and still believe he was and is the best cycling manager, and [the] poor sport needs a few more Brailsfords. "After three years of being absent, I don’t change my opinion on cycling, Contador or Riis etc, even though, it has been cemented. I wish all success to Dave to find a new sponsor, thus cycling needs him, he and Lefevere are good for this sport.  I am not the one. That’s all for now." Brailsford has overseen six Tour de France wins since the team's inception in 2010, with Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas all winning the French race. However, in December Sky announced it would be ending its sponsorship of the team at the end of 2019. That came despite the fact that Chris Froome had a contract beyond that point and Thomas had just re-signed after winning the Tour de France. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.readfullarticle

Source: Cycling News