Viatchevslav Ekimov (50) was elected president of the Russian Cycling Federation.
The triple Olympic champion was still this season the manager of the Katusha team, replaced by the Portuguese José Azevedo for 2017.
Eki climbing Andorra Arcalis in the 1997 Tour
Ekimov became part of the USPS team in 1997 as its first key international signing. He had a short retirement in 2001 before rejoining the team in 2002.
In the 2003 Tour de France Ekimov placed 10th in the prologue. He was a key force in the winning team time trial effort in stage four and was important to Lance Armstrong’s fifth Tour victory both on the flats and in the mountains.
During the final stage of the 2006 Tour de France, now racing for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, he announced that the 2006 Tour would be his last.
He has managed the Astana, Radio Shack, Katusha and Discovery Teams.
