Tinkov has no feel for Tour History

I cannot detect any rationale in Oleg Tinkov's calls for shortened Grand Tours other than to service his mania for a "match" between three or four of the current stars.

The 3-week length is the ultimate test-rather like the 5-day Test Match-and to fiddle with this 100-year-old format is utter madness in my view. Contador has already come out against it.

New entrants to Team sponsorship are always welcomed, and let us hope that Tinkov is around for many years, but I'm afraid that it is much more likely that he will end up as yet another "here today, gone tomorrow" owner.

The Grand Tours, and all their history and culture, will outlive him.

Tinkov has been majorly involved in sponsoring/owning teams for 10 years now. It's not a new thing.

He's very supportive towards ex-dopers.

You'd think then that he'd be advocating 5-week Grand Tours!