Michael Rogers handed top role at Bjarne Riis's new cycling project

Former Tinkoff and Team Sky rider Michael Rogers is the new Chief Executive Officer of the Riis-Seier project, a collaboration between 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis and Saxo Bank co-founder Lars Seier Christensen.

Rogers was forced to retire from professional cycling in April after 16 seasons because of a heart arrhythmia, but will not be out of work long, joining up with his former Tinkoff boss Riis.

“When Michael announced his retirement from professional cycling, I immediately discussed with the board about his potential leadership of the project,” Riis said in a statement

“I know Michael very well from his many years in cycling. He is in every way a dedicated person with an extremely professional approach to things. And Michael has a proven record of leadership in the professional cycling world. Together with his energy and aspirations to learn the business world, we firmly believe he can lead the project into an interesting future."

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Riis and Seier Christensen announced earlier this year that they will be working together on a new cycling project, but details to this point have been sketchy.

According to the press release, the "Riis Seier Project aims to build a financially strong, diverse and sustainable business based on innovative new cycling projects around a World Tour cycling team", although Riis insists he will not be buying the WorldTour licence off his former partner Oleg Tinkov.

With Rogers on board we could see some of his soon to be unemployed former Tinkoff teammates signing up to the project, with riders like Alberto Contador looking for a new team for 2017.

“I’m excited and grateful to be given the opportunity to lead this project. In comparison to my athletic career of the last two decades, a new set of challenges will present themselves in my new role as CEO,” said Rogers.