Should Tinkoff fail to find a new sponsor, Oleg Tinkov has told Cyclingnews he will just fold the team, rather than sell it to the Bahrain Cycling Team project, which is being heavily rumoured.

“It took me 15 months to find out that you don’t need an expensive Riis to run the team,” Tinkov told Cyclingnews when asked about the much-talked-about Bahrain Cycling Team. “Now Riis has gone deeper into the East and I hope for the Prince’s sake that it takes him a shorter time to understand the same thing.”

Tinkov says the reason he is pulling out of the sport is not because he is running out of money thanks to the Russian economic crisis, but because he has received no help from others in his attempts to try to change cycling.

Tinkov says that he is willing to talk to potential buyers, but says he is aware of just how hard it will be to sell a cycling team.

“I am happy to talk to any buyer. But I am realistic about it, and understand that in today's conditions to sell cycling team is challenging. Therefore, most likely, we'll simply fold down the team at the end of season,” he said.

One thing is for sure, with each passing day Tinkov feels more and more sure that leaving the sport is the right thing to do.

"One thing l say is that every day I becoming more and more convinced about leaving this sport. It’s one mess after another. I'll be happy to finish on a high with Alberto (Contador) winning the Tour de France and Peter (Sagan) some monuments, that’s it.”