Cycling: In today's team check we come to last year's second in the WorldTour team ranking: Team Katusha. The Russian racing team actually had an all-round successful season, but once again doping problems clouded the otherwise so positive impression.
Team Katusha overview
Second place in the WorldTour team standings, with Joaquim Rodriguez (2nd) and Alexander Kristoff (4th) two riders in the WorldTour Top 10, 15 more wins than the year before – 2015 actually gave Katusha enough reason to celebrate . However, (once again) doping offenses clouded the otherwise so positive overall picture.
Katusha's spring man, Alexander Kristoff, started the season very well. The Norwegian collected four stage wins in Oman and Qatar and won a stage at Paris-Nice. With the classics he triumphed in Flanders, moved to Roaubaix though just about the short straw against John Degenkolb. From Katusha's point of view, the Giro was rather mixed with a seventh place in the team classification - but at least there was one Victory of the day by Ilnur Zakarin in Imola to celebrate - a few weeks earlier, the 26-year-old Russian had surprisingly won the Tour de Romandie.
A Katusha pro also celebrated a major victory in the run-up to the Tour: Simon Spilak won the Tour de Suisse with an overall impressive performance. Joaquim Rodriguez won the Grand Boucle on the wall of Huy and immediately seemed to be in his element. The 36-year-old Spaniard rode a good tour and celebrated a second victory of the day on the Plateau de Beille – in the end, however, he had no chance in the overall standings and he was denied the dotted jersey. Alexander Kristoff also experienced an overall disappointing tour and regularly found his master in the sprints in André Greipel.
At the Vuelta, Rodriguez fought a passionate battle for overall victory with Fabio Aru and Tom Dumoulin on home turf, which was great for all cycling fans to watch. In the end, Rodriguez lost out towards Aru, but they both gave us really great cycling and Rodriguez was certainly one of the reasons why this year's Vuelta probably the most exciting Grand Tour of the year was.
As already mentioned, however, two recent doping cases in the ranks of Katusha clouded the impression. Luca Paolini tested positive for cocaine during the tour and flew out of the team a little later. As has now become known, the Italian suffers from a drug problem and probably did not take the drug to increase performance. Nevertheless, one has to ask oneself why this problem, which according to Paolini has not only existed since yesterday, was not recognized by the Katusha team doctors or the appropriate consequences were not taken. Also Paolini's compatriot Giampaolo Caruso tested positive in 2015 – however, since the rehearsal was from 2012, the 35-year-old and his team escaped punishment. Nevertheless: all this will not help to improve the reputation of the Russian racing team, which has already been badly damaged in the past.
Little will change at Katusha for 2016: however, the team loses an important driver in Dani Moreno and it remains to be seen how this hole will be filled. Joaquim Rodriguez has already announced that he will be hanging up his cycling shoes at the end of 2016 and this will probably be the last opportunity for the Spaniard to fulfill his long-awaited dream of winning the Tour. In addition, Alexander Kristoff will again be one of the narrow favorites in the classics in spring.
Team Katusha – Transfers
Departures: Alexander Kolobnev (end of career), Dani Moreno (Movistar), Luca Paolini (end of career), Rüdiger Selig (Bora-Argon 18), Gatis Smukulis (Astana), Yuri Trofimov (Tinkoff-Saxo)
Additions: Matvey Mamykin (Neo), Michael Mørkøv (Tinkoff-Saxo), Nils Politt (Neo), Jhonatan Restrepo (Neo), Rein Taaramäe (Astana), Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Soudal)
Team Katusha - Team bikes and gear
team bike: The Russian professional team has been riding Canyon bikes since the 2012 season – and that will not change in the 2016 season either. The weapon of choice for most races will be the new one introduced last year Canyon Ultimate CF SLX be. If it needs a little less air resistance and a little more aero, the Katusha pros reach for the Canyon aero bike. In the case of the time trial, on the other hand, that was revealed a few months ago Canyon Speedmax CF SLX be used.
components: Katusha will be the only WorldTour team to change component suppliers for the coming season. So far, the Russian team has been on the road with a Shimano drive - for 2016 they are now relying on the US competition from SRAM. So we will be able to admire SRAM's new wireless eTap shifting system on the Katusha team bikes. The wheels are made by SRAM subsidiary ZIPP.
disc brakes: There is still a question mark behind the Canyon Ultimate CF SLX Disc - you could already admire a prototype at the Eurobike, but will the bike be ready in time for the start of the season? There is no information on this yet. What is certain, however, is that SRAM and ZIPP have the right components in their portfolios for first attempts at discs. We'll have to wait and see if Kristoff, Rodriguez and the other Katusha pros embark on the disc brake adventure in 2016.