Team Tinkoff will return to the Vuelta a Andalucia after the great performance last year when Alberto Contador won a stage and finished second overall. The Russian team will go into the race with a a great team that includes many of their biggest stars.

The Russian team is one of the big ones in cycling and their riders have gathered a total of 415 individual victories. Last year they won 25 racesand were on the podium on 70 occasions. The team began in 1999 under the name of Jack & Jones, was known as CSC for eight years and as Saxo Bamk for three. Now they will be named Tinkoff Team.

Rafal Majka, Roman Kreuziger, Daniele Bennati, Manuele Boaro, Oscar Gatto, Jay McCarthy and Nikolay Trusov will line up for the team in Andalusia.

Rafal Majka is a Polish rider who turns 26 in his sixth season with the team. He has already won twelve races and excels in the mountains. He has won a total of three mountain stages in the Tour de France and has twice been second on stages in the Vuelta. In 2014 he won the mountains jersey and two stages in the Tour plus two stages and the general classification in the Tour of Poland. Last year he was third overall in the Vuelta

Roman Kreuziger is a Czech rider who will turn 29 in his fourth year with the Tinkoff Team after previously riding for Astana and Liquigas. He is a grand tour rider who has done six Tours de France, three Giri d'Italia and four Vueltas a Espana. He has 18 individual victories. He was was Czech Junior Champion in the road race and time trial and became road world champion in Verona. In 2011 he was the best young rider in the Giro. In 2012 he won a stage in the Italian race. In 2013 he won the Amstel Gold Race and last year he won a stage in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. He has also won the Tours of Switzerland, Romandie and Sardinia. His father was world champion in cyclo-cross as he won the Junior race in Birmingham and he also won the Circuit des Ardennes and rode.

Daniele Bennati is a 35-year-old veteran. He is one of the essential riders in the team to decide the tactics in the race. It will be his sixteenth season as a professional, the last four at Tinkoff, having previously been with RadioShack, Leopard, Liquigas, Lampre, Phonak, Domina Vacanze and Acqua e Sapone. He does not lack experience. He has participated in Andalusia twice: in 2004 with Phonak and in 2012 with Radioshack with which he was eighth in two stages. Despite his importance in the team, his job is no longer to win. He has a total of 65 individual victories. He has stage wins in the three grand tours. Last season he was second in a Vuelta stage and also won the GP Industria e Comercio de Prato.

Manuele Boaro is a 28-year-old Italian who will be in his sixth professional season, all with Tinkoff. His first major success the Italian Junior Championships and he has taken a total of 15 victories in his sporting life. He has participated in three editions of the Giro d'Italia and his last victory came last year in a stage at the Circuit of Sarthe in Pays de Loire where he was second overall. Two years ago he won a stage in the Tour of Denmark in which he finished third. It will be his first appearance in Andalusia.

Oscar Gatto is a 31-year-old Italian rider who goes into his tenth season as a professional. He turned professional with Gerolsteiner and will be his first season at Tinkoff after leaving Androni Giocattoli. He has a total of 35 individual victories, with the highlights being a stage victory in the Giro in 2011. He has participated in eight editions of the Giro and two Vueltas. In 2013 he won the Flemish classic Dwars door Vlaanderen and last year he won two stages in Sibiu Cycling Tour in Romania. It will be his debut in the Ruta del Sol.

Jay McCarthy is an Australian rider who will turn 23 in its fourth professional year. He has spent his entire career with theTinkoff team. He is one of the most promising riders in the team. He was Australian junior champion and also won two one-day races in Italy at that time. As a U23 rider, he won in Germany, New Zealand, Italy, France and Australia. Last year he did the Vuelta and was second in the team time trial with his teammates. It will be his debut in Andalusia.

Nikolay Trusov is a Russian rider who will turn 30 in his thirteenth season as a professional. He turned professional with Lokomotiv and later rode for Tinkoff, Katusha, Rusvelo and now he is in his third consecutive year at Tinkoff. He was part of the track school in St. Petersburg, having won two European Championships, four World Cups and two World Championships. He has a stage win in the Volta a Catalunya. It will be his first participation in the Ruta del Sol.