Roche reckons change of owner will make his team stronger

Nicolas Roche has reacted positively to the news that a previous team sponsor, Oleg Tinkov, has taken over full ownership of his team, saying he believes it will lead to better performances by the riders in future.

Previous owner Bjarne Riis has sold the squad for an estimated €6 million, and will move to the role of general manager. The squad will be known as Tinkoff Saxo, and should have a more stable financial structure. Tinkov said the team will sign more big riders after next season and is gunning for Tour de France success plus the world number one slot.

“I totally back up the idea of Bjarne having more freedom and being able to follow us at races,” Roche said on Monday in London.

“He helped me a lot in the Vuelta a España [where Roche took fifth] and maybe it will help Alberto [Contador] take the Tour or help another rider perform well.”