Tinkoff
Tinkoff (UCI Team Code: TNK) is a Russian-registered professional cycling team from Russia. It competes in the UCI World Tour. The team is owned by Russian Oleg Tinkov and, from 1999 until March 2015, was managed by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis. The team is sponsored by the Russian Tinkoff Bank, a credit systems company.
Founded in 1998 as home-Jack & Jones, the team started in cycling's second division. In 2000 it moved into the 'top division, now known as the UCI World Tour. Since 2000, under differing sponsor names (Memory Card-Jack & Jones and CSC-Tiscali), the team rode the Tour de France. It has won the overall classification in all three of the Grand Tours. In the 2008 Tour de France, Carlos Sastre won the general classification, Andy Schleck won the young rider classification, and the team won the overall team classification, and Ivan Basso won the 2006 Giro d'Italia, as well as finishing third and second in the 2004 and 2005 Tour de France. In addition, the team has won many major classics, including 6 Monuments.
