You're reading: Former US Postal rider Ekimov gets top Russian job

MOSCOW — Three-time Olympic champion Viatcheslav Ekimov, a longtime teammate of Lance Armstrong, is the new general manager of Russian cycling team Katusha.

The team says Ekimov will replace Hans-Michael Holzer of Germany.

Ekimov
rode with the U.S. Postal Service team in 1997-98, before Armstrong won
his first Tour de France. He returned in 2000 and rode in some of
Armstrong’s subsequent Tour victories through 2005.

Ekimov won Olympic titles in track team pursuit in 1988 and the road time trial in 2000.

He
was awarded his third title in August when the IOC stripped former
teammate Tyler Hamilton of the 2004 time-trial gold for doping.

Hamilton’s
accusations of widespread doping on U.S. Postal teams helped prompt the
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to ban Armstrong for life and strip his seven
Tour titles.