Kreuziger rode for Tinkov during his time at the Russian’s team, Tinkoff, and despite an up-and-down relationship, during which Kreuziger admitted the pair had ‘heavy discussions' at times, the rider said that he respected his former team boss.
According to sources the pair had a particularly 'heavy discussion' during this year's Criterium du Dauphine while on the team bus. The pair apparently clashed over issues within the team.
The following month Kreuziger rode for himself – after receiving Tinkov's blessing – at the Tour de France and finished tenth overall in GC, 7:11 behind winner Chris Froome.
Tinkov later pulled the plug on his team and Kreuziger has since moved to Orica Scott for 2017. Kreuziger played down any friction between the pair.
"He was open and never said anything behind my back. He was pretty clear and I liked how he treated people. I finished well with him and we had a good relationship. I think he had some ideas that would have changed cycling but I'm sure that he will come back because he really likes cycling."
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
