{"id":146021,"date":"2017-01-11T15:05:03","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T15:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=146021"},"modified":"2017-01-11T15:05:03","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T15:05:03","slug":"alberto-contador-gets-back-oleg-tinkovs-controversial-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2017\/01\/11\/alberto-contador-gets-back-oleg-tinkovs-controversial-remarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberto Contador Gets Back at Oleg Tinkov\u2019s Controversial Remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even when you\u2019re not in-depth familiar with the world of professional bicycle racing, you\u2019ve probably came across Oleg Tinkov. He had previously made headlines not only with his impolite comments about Sagan and Contador, including a complaint that he paid Sagan too much, but also with criticizing rival team managers and making a racial tweet about president Obama in 2015. Some even liken the Russian to the president-elect Donald Trump thanks to his loud, \u201cbig-wallet\u201d mentality.<\/strong>
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In his final interview as a Tinkoff Team owner in October 2016 he recalled memories of the five years spent as the team\u2019s manager and, apart from criticizing the sport\u2019s overall management and talking about the joy of spending 50 million Euros to fund his team, he made a few jabs at his relationship with Contador.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/olegtinkov\/status\/626629444954923008<\/p>\n

After he explained that his relationship with Sagan was only misunderstood by media and that they managed to sort out every issue, he started to go into more detail regarding his opinions on Contador. Speaking his mind as usual, he ended up making allegations such as: \u201cI respect him as a rider for his past but as a person he’s never really appealed to me. I don’t like him. Even in the team, most of the riders don’t like him. He ended up having a bad relation with almost everyone, apart from his little Spanish group.\u201d He even went as far as to suggest that he should warn Luca Guercilena, Trek \u2013Segafredo\u2019s team manager and Contador\u2019s new employer, that the Spaniard will wreak \u201ca mess\u201d in his team.<\/p>\n

Further in the interview he continues to make suggestion for the cyclist: \u201cHe’s a great champion and so should stop now. I think he’s going to be like a limping duck. He’s going to look stupid. [\u2026] I don’t think he’s ever going to win another Grand Tour. He should forget about it and quit.\u201d He continues by accusing him that he wasn\u2019t a keen enough participant in some of the races and when Contador claimed he couldn\u2019t ride Il Lombardia because of an illness Tinkoff suggested that \u201cfor the money he earns, that shouldn’t happen\u201d and went as far as dropping and S-bomb to call him out on his excuses.<\/p>\n

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Oleg Tinkov with Alberto Contador and Slovakia’s Peter Sagan in better times.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was probably the last part of Tinkov\u2019s rant that prompted the Spaniard\u2019s response. When Tinkov held a farewell party for the team he didn\u2019t invite Contador. His explanation was plain and simple: \u201cI think the party will be better without him anyway because he’s a sad person. He never really wants to drink champagne and is always careful about what he eats because he’s focused on winning the Tour de France in July. [\u2026] That’s a stupid attitude, that’s why he kept crashing, he’s too hard on himself and too focused. [\u2026] The guys who are always serious are always boring. They can f*ck off. They’re boring guys, they have a terrible life.\u201d Quite the well-articulated and sophisticated response.<\/p>\n

According to Contador, their disagreements started when the team\u2019s first manager, Bjarne Riis, left the team over alleged mutual agreement. In his own words: \u201cI knew that everything would change with his departure. He was a team leader who could manage a group of 70 people. You can go in with a lot of money but you must have a number of capabilities to manage. Bjarne Riis had them and Tinkov didn\u2019t.\u201d On the other hand, Contador doesn\u2019t appear to have any regrets over leaving the Tinkoff Team and stated that: \u201cHe [Tinkov] has been part of my career, which fortunately is finished,\u201d Contador told Spanish radio Cadena SER.<\/p>\n