Denis Menchov ended his career midway through the 2013 season but may now return to Katusha in a coaching role. The multiple grand tour winner has been approached by Viacheslav Ekimov, manager of the Russian team, and is currently considering his options.

With both Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana wins on his palmares, Denis Menchov is one of the most decorated grand tour riders of the past decade and he has been the leading Russian cyclist for most of the current century. However, he took most of his most important results while riding for foreign teams, winning all of his grand tours while riding in Rabobank colours.

For the Katusha team which has been created to develop Russian cycling, it was always inconvenient not to have the greatest Russian rider on their team. Personal disagreements prevented the parties from joining forces until a contract was finally signed prior to the 2012 season.

Menchov didn't have much success while riding for his home team, failing to contend for podium spot in the 2012 Tour de France. He won the big mountain stage to Bola del Mundo of that year's Vuelta a Espana and showed that there was still life in his old legs when he finished second on the queen stage of the 2013 Paris-Nice.

However, a knee injury plagued him for much of the spring season and when he missed the Giro d'Italia, he decided to put a premature end to his career. Since then, he has stayed away from the public spotlight but may now return to the cycling world.

In an interview with R-Sport, Katusha manager Viacheslav Ekimov indicated that he is trying to get the Russian star back on board in a coaching role.

"Recently, I talked to Menchov to check out how he is doing," he said. " He is now working at a local bike school with young riders as a trainer and consultant. He needs to feel wanted and needed in order not to get lost.

"Everything depends on Denis," he added. "He finished his career and is now on a sabbatical to build mental and physical strength. His participation in the project could be very important. Let's see what happens in the foreseeable future to see what opportunities we can give him to share his experience with the younger generations."

Menchov won the 2007 Vuelta a Espana and the 2009 Giro d'Italia. Originally, he finished 2nd in the 2005 Vuelta but was declared winner when Roberto Heras failed a doping test. However, the Spaniard has fought his disqualification in the Spanish courts and has been reinstated as the winner of that year's edition of the Spanish grand tour.