The Katusha team has confirmed to Cyclingnews that it will be registered in Switzerland for the 2017 season as it continues to internationalise and grow out of its Russian roots.
The team is expected to have Alpecin as a title sponsor for 2017, with the German shampoo brand splitting from the 2016 Giant-Alpecin team, which has announced Sunweb as its title sponsor.
The arrival of Alpecin and Tony Martin as a team leader, with German bike brand Canyon also a key sponsor, means Katusha will significantly reduce the team’s links to Russia, even if Russian Oligarch Igor Makarov will continue to own and part-fund the team. Alpecin is expected to confirm its sponsorship near the end of the current season.
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Makarov used his wealth and connections in Russia to create the Katusha team as a way to develop Russian riders. That role has now been taken by the Gazprom-Rusvelo team. Katusha is trying to fund its WorldTour status by becoming more internationally appealing.
Under UCI rules, teams can chose their nationality based on where the management company is based, or the location of a main sponsor. The Katusha team is run from a company based in Geneva, Switzerland and so is a logical choice considering the lack of interest from Russian sponsors.
Ekimov has confirmed the team will only have five Russian riders on its 2017 roster: Ilnur Zakarin, Vyacheslav Kuznetsov, Matvey Mamykin Maxim Belkov and Pavel Kochetkov.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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