Katusha–Alpecin (, ) was a Russian (later Swiss)

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...

team which competed at the

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...

level using

Canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

bikes A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

. The team was created in 2008 by Igor Makarov, an ex-professional cyclist and entrepreneur. In 2017 the team took a broader international direction, still supported by Igor Makarov's company ARETI International Group, Swiss clothing company Katusha Sports and German shampoo manufacturer

Alpecin Alpecin is a German-based shampoo brand established in 1905 that is made specifically for men. Its manufacturer has claimed that the caffeine present in the formulation can help to reduce hair loss. From March 2018, the company was no longer allo ...

. The team competed as a UCI ProTeam/WorldTour team between 2009 and 2019.

Joaquim Rodríguez Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver (born 12 May 1979) is a Spanish cyclist, who competed in road bicycle racing between 2001 and 2016 for the , , and teams. Following his retirement from road racing, Rodríguez has competed in mountain bike racing and ...

Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . A sprinter and classics rider, Kristoff is the most successful Norwegian cyclist by number of wins, having taken alm ...

Daniel Moreno Daniel Moreno Fernández (born 5 September 1981) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. He specialised in mountain and high-mountain races along with Grand T ...

Simon Špilak Simon Špilak (born 23 June 1986) is a retired Slovenian professional Road bicycle racing, road bicycle racer. Professional career Born in Tišina, Slovenia, Tišina, Špilak was the winner of the 2010 Tour de Romandie, after original race winner ...

Filippo Pozzato Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato (born 10 September 1981) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2018 for the , , , , , , and two spells with the / teams. A cycling classics, northern classics specialist, Pozza ...

Luca Paolini Luca Paolini (born 17 January 1977) is an Italian former road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2015. He started his sports career in the early 2000s by joining (2000–2002), UCI ProTeam directed by Patrick Lefevere. Wit ...

Ilnur Zakarin Ilnur Azatovich Zakarin (; born 15 September 1989) is a Russian former bicycle racing, racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2012 to 2022. Career Early career and doping ban In 2007, as a 17-year-old, he won the juniors time trial ...

and Tony Martin are some of the most successful riders who rode for Katusha. In 2019, the team was taken over by

Israel Cycling Academy is an Israeli UCI Continental team founded in 2020 that acts as a development team for UCI ProSeries, UCI ProTeam . Team roster Major results ;2020 : Israeli National Road Race Championships, National Under-23 Road Race Cham ...

, along with its UCI World Tour license.

History

Team Katusha was launched on December 22, 2008 from the acquisition of team

Tinkoff Credit Systems T-Bank (), formerly known as Tinkoff Bank is a Russian commercial bank based in Moscow and founded by Oleg Tinkov in 2006. Up until 2024, the bank did not have branches and was considered a neobank. It is the second largest provider of credit ...

. Initially, it relied solely on the financial support of Igor Makarov, who served as its sponsor. This financial backing sustained the team until 2017 when a new partnership was forged with

, resulting in the co-sponsorship and renaming of the team to Team Katusha-Alpecin. The director of the team was the retired cyclist

Alexei Sivakov Alexei Viktorovich Sivakov (Russian: Алексей Викторович Сиваков) (born 7 January 1972) is a former Russian cyclist. He is the father of fellow cyclist Pavel Sivakov. Palmares ;1994 :1st Overall Tour de Serbie ;1996 :4th ...

that competed on numerous teams including

ZG Mobili ZG Mobili was an Italian cycling team that existed from 1991 to 1997. Sponsors and naming rights *1991 ZG Mobili-Bottecchia *1992 ZG Mobili-Selle Italia *1993-1994 ZG Mobili *1995 ZG Mobili-Selle Italia *1996-1997 Roslotto-ZG Mobili History Under ...

from 1996 to 1997. The team was launched with a budget of over .Renamed Tinkoff Credit System squad undergoes major expansion
Stokes, Shane; Cyclingnews.com; 16 July 08; Accessed 19 January 2009 In its first official season it signed leading cyclists such as

Robbie McEwen Robbie McEwen (born 24 June 1972) is an Australian former professional road cyclist. He is a three-time winner of the Tour de France points classification in 2002, 2004 & 2006 and, at the peak of his career, was considered the world's fastest ...

Vladimir Karpets Vladimir Alexandrovich Karpets () (born 20 September 1980 in Leningrad) is a Russian road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTeam . Karpets is most notable for winning the white jersey for best young rider in the 2004 Tour de France and his v ...

and

Gert Steegmans Gert Steegmans (born 30 September 1980 in Hasselt) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was noted for a strong finishing sprint and could compete in the sprint with fellow Belgian cyclist, and t ...

. The team first raced at the

2009 Tour Down Under The 2009 Tour Down Under was the 11th edition of the Tour Down Under cycling stage race, taking place over 20–25 January in and around Adelaide, South Australia. The Tour Down Under was the first race outside Europe to be given ProTour status ...

. During the 2009 season, the team earned 23 wins. Some of the notable wins were

Sergei Ivanov Sergei Borisovich Ivanov (, ; born 31 January 1953) is a Russian senior official and politician who has been serving as the Special Presidential Envoy on the Issues of Environmental Activities, Ecology and Transport since 12 August 2016. He h ...

’s Amstel Gold victory,

's Italian road title and triumph at

Giro del Veneto The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. Since 2023, the race has been on the UCI ProSeries calendar, having previously been a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits ...

. After the 2012 season, Katusha lost their

UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ranking system based upon perfor ...

license, despite having in their ranks the champion of the 2012 season (

) and finishing the

2012 UCI World Tour The 2012 UCI World Tour was the fourth edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The series started with the Tour Down Under's opening stage on 17 January, and consisted of 14 stage races, 14 one-da ...

team rankings in second position. The team appealed that decision before the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...

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 The 2013 UCI World Tour is the fifth edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The series started with the 2013 Tour Down Under, Tour Down Under on 22 January. __TOC__ Teams The UCI ProTeams c ...

. Its most successful season was 2015 when the team took victories in the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...

, Gent-Wevelgem,

Scheldeprijs The Scheldeprijs is a road bicycle racing, cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten. Until 2018 it was held entirely in Belgium. The event, ranked as a UCI race cla ...

and GP Ouest France – Plouay, as well as overall wins in the

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'') is an annual road cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races that make up the UCI World Tour calendar. As the Basque Country is ...

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse () is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France, which is on the calend ...

and

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...

and stage wins in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

Tour of Italy The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

and

Tour of Spain Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

. During the 2017 season, two staff members were videotaped dumping the team RV's septic system in a parking lot off the highway at the Amgen Tour of California. The California Highway Patrol and race organizers were informed of the incident and the waste was later professionally removed. The pair were suspended and sent home from the race. In October 2019,

completed the takeover of Katusha–Alpecin, including its World Tour license.

Doping

In March 2009,

Christian Pfannberger Christian Pfannberger (born 9 December 1979) is an Austrian former professional road racing cyclist. He was a two-time Austrian national road-race champion (2007 and 2008). Other achievements included winning the U23 National Championship in 200 ...

tested positive for EPO and was banned for life. In April of the same year

Antonio Colom Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan language, Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top ...

tested positive for EPO. 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 Michele Ferrari (born 26 March 1953) is an Italian physician, cycling coach and author, who is mostly known for his role in supplying bicycle racers with performance-enhancing drugs, notably EPO. His most famous client was Lance Armstrong. Biog ...

. Katusha riders Vladimir Gusev, Mikhail Ignatiev,

and

Alexandr Kolobnev Alexandr Vasilievich Kolobnev (; born 4 May 1981) is a Russian former professional road bicycle racer. His major victories include winning the 2007 Monte Paschi Eroica, a stage of the 2007 Paris–Nice and he is a two-time winner of the Russi ...

were searched. Later in July, Kolobnev tested positive for

Hydrochlorothiazide Hydrochlorothiazide, sold under the brand name Hydrodiuril among others, is a diuretic medication used to treat hypertension and swelling due to fluid build-up. Other uses include treating diabetes insipidus and renal tubular acidosis and t ...

(HCT) on stage 5 of the

2011 Tour de France The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of Tour de France, the race. It started on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and ended on the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France, Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July. The cyclists competed in 2 ...

. Two weeks later Kolobnev's B-sample returned a positive for HCT. In April 2012,

Denis Galimzyanov Denis Ramilyevich Galimzyanov (, ; born 7 March 1987 in Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a former Russian racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He obtained a major victory in the classic Paris–Brussels in 2011, where he i ...

tested positive for EPO in an out of competition test. Galimzyanov later admitted to taking the banned substance. In June 2012

admitted to using the services of Dr Ferrari from 2004 to 2009. During the 2012 and 2013 seasons,

Denis Menchov Denis Nikolayevich Menshov (often mistakenly romanized as Menchov, ; born 25 January 1978) is a former professional Russian road bicycle racer, who rode as a professional between 2000 and 2013. He was best known as a general classification rider ...

was on team Katusha, but, on 12 July 2014, was banned from cycling events until 9 April 2015 due to adverse biological passport findings. However, he announced his retirement from cycling on 21 May 2013. In July 2015,

tested positive for

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

(Benzoylecgonine metabolite) in a sample given on July 7 during the

2015 Tour de France The 2015 Tour de France was the 102nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 stages, starting on 4 July in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and concluding on 26 July with the Champs-Élysées sta ...

. As a result, the team withdrew Paolini from the Tour de France. A month later, in August,

Giampaolo Caruso Giampaolo Caruso (born 15 August 1980) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2015 for the , , , and squads. During his professional career, Caruso took five victories – all coming in I ...

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. In February 2016,

Eduard Vorganov Eduard Vorganov (born 7 December 1982) is a Russian professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI Continental team . In 2012, Vorganov won the Russian National Road Race Championships. On 5 February 2016, he was suspended for a positiv ...

tested positive for the newly WADA-banned compound

Meldonium Meldonium (International Nonproprietary Name, INN; trade name Mildronate, among others) is a pharmaceutical developed in 1970 by Ivars Kalviņš at the USSR Latvia Institute of Organic Synthesis. It is now manufactured by the Latvian pharma ...

. Due to the frequency of doping positives, the teams faced a potential 15- to 45-day ban.

Final roster

Major wins

Since the creation of Team Katusha in 2009, its riders have won many races. As of January 2017, these included 28 stages in

Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in fo ...

and four

cycling monument The Monuments are five classic cycle races generally considered to be the oldest, hardest, longest and most prestigious one-day events in men's road cycling, with distances between 240 and 300 km. They each have a long history and specific indiv ...

s: the 2012 and 2013 Il Lombardia were won by

, and the

2014 Milan–San Remo The 2014 Milan–San Remo was the 105th running of the Milan–San Remo single-day Classic cycle races, monument classic cycling race. It was held on Sunday 23 March over a distance of and was the fourth race of the 2014 UCI World Tour season. It ...

and the 2015 Tour of Flanders were won by

Sponsorship

In 2019, sponsors

and

bikes confirmed that they were ending their sponsorship of the team, with

buying the Katusha–Alpecin management company from the ex-professional cyclist, entrepreneur and

UCI UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...

Management Committee member Igor Makarov.

National champions

;2009 : Italian Road Race,

Russian Road Race,

;2010 :

Moldovan Road Race,

Alexandre Pliuschin Alexandre may refer to: * Alexandre (given name) * Alexandre (surname) * Alexandre (film) See also * Alexander * Alexandra (disambiguation) * Xano (disambiguation) Xano is the name of: * Xano, a Portuguese hypocoristic of the name " Alexandre (di ...

Russian Road Race, Alexandre Kolobnev : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial, Vladimir Gusev ;2011 : MaillotRusia

Russian Road Race,

Pavel Brutt Pavel Aleksandrovich Brutt (; born 29 January 1982) is a Russian former professional track and road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2017 for six different teams. Career Born in Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast, Brutt's big ...

Russian Time Trial, Mikhail Ignatiev : MaillotBielorrusia

Belarusian Road Race, Aleksandr Kuschynski : MaillotMoldavia

Moldovan Road Race,

;2012 :

Russian Road Race,

Latvian Time Trial,

Gatis Smukulis Gatis Smukulis (born 15 April 1987) is a Latvian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2018 for the , , , and teams. Smukulis won the Latvian National Road Race Championships in 2016, and won six conse ...

Russian Time Trial,

;2013 :

Latvian Time Trial,

Russian Road Race, Vladimir Isaichev ;2014 : MaillotLetonia

Latvian Time Trial,

Russian Time Trial,

Anton Vorobyev Anton Gennadyevich Vorobyev (; born 12 October 1990) is a Russian cyclist, who last rode for UCI Professional Continental team . In 2012, he became the World Under-23 time trial champion on a hilly course. Major results ;2008 : 5th Overall Tro ...

Russian Road Race,

Alexander Porsev Alexander Nikolayevich Porsev (born 21 February 1986) is a Russian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2019, for and . Major results ''Sources'': ;2008 : 5th La Roue Tourangelle : 5th Grand Prix of ...

;2015 :

Latvian Time Trial,

Russian Road Race, Yuri Trofimov : MaillotAustria

Austrian Road Race, Marco Haller ;2016 : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial,

Sergey Chernetskiy Sergey Vitaliyevich Chernetskiy (; born 9 April 1990 in Sertolovo) is a Russian cyclist, who last rode for UCI ProTeam . In August 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Vuelta a España. Major results ;2010 : 1st Team pursuit, UEC ...

Russian Road Race, Pavel Kochetkov ;2017 : MaillotRusia

Russian Time Trial,

German Time Trial, Tony Martin : UEC Champion Jersey

European Road Race,

;2019 :

British Time Trial,

Alex Dowsett Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a British former professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He was a time trial specialist, and in 2015, he broke track cycling's world hour record ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katusha-Alpecin Former UCI WorldTeams Cycling teams established in 2009 Cycling teams based in Russia 2009 establishments in Russia Cycling teams based in Switzerland Cycling teams established in 2017 2017 establishments in Switzerland 2019 disestablishments in Switzerland Cycling teams disestablished in 2019