Cycling: Russia considers its own tour

Decision comes after Katusha, the country’s top professional team, was dropped from the World Tour.

MOSCOW: Russia is reconsidering plans to introduce a major annual cycling race in 2014 after Katusha, the country’s top professional team, was dropped from the World Tour. Last week, the licence commission of the cycling’s world governing body Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rejected Katusha’s application to compete in the top flight next year because of the team’s doping record over the past four years. “It doesn’t make any sense to stage the Tour of Russia under the current circumstances,” said Alexander Gusyatnikov, an adviser to Russian cycling chief and Katusha boss Igor Makarov. “We have a verbal agreement with the UCI to stage the Tour of Russia in 2014, although we haven’t signed a contract yet.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2012.