Riis-owned company Riis Cycling A/S, which runs WorldTour Team Saxo-Tinkoff, has been bought by Tinkoff. Tinkoff's bank ended its sponsorship of Team Saxo-Tinkoff at the conclusion of the 2013 season citing conflicts between Tinkoff and team captain Alberto Contador who delivered substandard performances in 2013.

Danish rider Michael Rasmussen admitted Thursday that he took performance-enhancing drugs for more than a decade, the latest cyclist to acknowledge doping since Lance Armstrong's confession this month.

Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank owner Bjarne Riis is finding himself in an increasingly tight spot as pressure for him to comment on the accusations made by Tyler Hamilton rises further in his home country of Denmark.