Igor Makarov and Viatcheslav Ekimov with the team(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joaquim Rodriguez with team owner Igor Makrov(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Purito was the star rider for Katusha in 2012(Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
Vladimir Isaichev was easy to spot in his national Russian jersey(Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
A fan gets their photo of the night(Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
The presentation about to get under way(Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
A side view of the proceedings(Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
The Katusha team on stage(Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
Alexander Kristoff, Vladimir Isaichev and Rodriguez (Image credit: TDWsports.com / Topsport Vlaanderen)
Alexander Kristoff interviewd on stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team manager Viatcheslav Ekimov, team boss Igor Makarov and President of Canyon bikes, Roman Arnold(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
President of Canyon bikes, Roman Arnold(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Russian road race champion Vladimir Isaichev(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Canyon had several bikes on show at their headquarters(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 2014 Katusha team on stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joaquim Rodriguez signs a poster(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Igor Makarov waves from the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team manager Viatcheslav Ekimov with team owner Igor Makarov(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team Manager Viatcheslav Ekimov on stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Katusha continue with their red look in 2014(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The legs of Katusha(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Star rider Joaquim Rodriguez(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team Manager Viatcheslav Ekimov(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The team bus outside the launch (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joaquim Rodriguez is interviewed at the launch(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Vladimir Gusev, Daniel Moreno and Giampaolo Caruso have a look at the 2014 Canyon bikes(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Igor Makarov and Viatcheslav Ekimov (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Vladimir Isaichev and his teammates on stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Russian champion Vladimir Isaichev chats with Igor Makarov(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Joaquim Rodriguez comes on stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
No mistaking the Katusha launch(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Canyon are continuing with their sponsorship of the team in 2014(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Vladimir Gusev, Daniel Moreno and Giampaolo Caruso admire their Canyon bikes (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Katusha hosted its 2014 team launch in Koblenz, Germany at the headquarters of bike manufacturer Canyon who are sponsoring the team for a third season. Katusha was the third ranked WorldTour team last year despite missing the Tour Down Under after initially not being granted a WorldTour license.
For the second consecutive year, Joaquim Rodríguez topped the individual WorldTour rankings which was also the third time Rodríguez has done so while at the Russian team.
The launch was also a celebration of the five-year anniversary of the team and the Russian Global Cycling Project which made its racing debut at the 2009 Tour Down Under.
Team owner Igor Makarov was on hand to extend his congratulations to the team. "Today we do not just celebrate the fifth anniversary of our main Russian cycling team and open the season of 2014 for Katusha, but we also celebrate a jubilee of the Russian Global Cycling Project. In the past five years, the Katusha Team, as well as the entire Project, have come a long way and gone through many trials. Fortunately, they have received a hundred times more success and victories in return. First of all, I want to thank our athletes, the Katusha riders, for the success they have achieved and their victories," he said.
"I thank the sports directors and the entire technical personnel of the team for the immaculate job done along the way to our victories. I can tell you with all confidence that good luck smiled on us for all of these five years.
"The Katusha Team has gained a great number of devoted fans, while the support for us on the part of the press made us confident that we had chosen the right track. Certainly, we cannot imagine our Team without our reliable partners, especially such powerful and well-known ones as Gazprom, Rostec, Itera and Canyon.
"We hope we shall continue together. After all, the main thing we have learned in these five years is that while we are united, we are invincible."
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