The Tinkoff-Saxo team has reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, 5895m above sea level, on Wednesday morning. The first to arrive at the summit was their captain Alberto Contador.

Very few can follow Alberto Contador when the raod gets steep and apparently that also holds when it comes to walking up a mountain. The Spaniard was the first rider to reach the Uhuru Peak, the roof of Africa, at half past four on Wednesday morning, followed by Michael Valgren. It was a new symbolic victory for the Spaniard.

"Operation Klimanjaro finished, a new and beautiful experience, but with hard moments due to bad weather and an altitude of 5895m," he tweeted.

The team added that "according to the head of the guides on Kilimanjaro, we suffered the worst conditions in a decade. Rain, fog, freezing temperatures and snow made the journey difficult."

Of a total of 72 members of the Russian team, 51 reached the goal. Five people were forced to leave during the first days, 15 had to give up just a few hundred meters from the summit.