Oleg Tinkov: Grand Tour challenge unlikely in 2015

The owner of Tinkoff-Saxo has challenged the leading general classification (GC) riders - Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali - to join Tinkov's lead rider Alberto Contador in racing the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana in 2015 with 1m up for grabs.

Tinkov said it would help boost cycling's profile if the best riders rode in all three grand tours - something very few of the top GC contenders attempt.

But the Russian has conceded it may be too difficult to get such a concept going for 2015, instead urging the likes of Froome, Quintana and Nibali to take on Contador in both the Giro and Le Tour next year.

"I think it would be a huge victory if next year all four of them would start the Giro and Tour double," Tinkov told Sky Sports News.

"Alberto Contador has already confirmed, so why don't Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali join him? That would be good. Let's start with the double this year and see how it evolves.

"For me, the sooner it [the Grand Tour challenge] happens the better it is. For the next year it may be hard."

In an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe, Tinkov also conceded that all three grand tours would probably have to make concessions for his idea to go ahead.

"It will require the organizers to make concessions. It will take a less harsh and long Giro and Vuelta," he said.

"The Giro is the craziest race. It's much too hard to do Giro and Tour double.

"And maybe the Tour de France will also have to be shortened. So much for the French arrogance..."

Tinkov also revealed he had approached Froome about the idea of racing all three grand tours in one year during this year's Vuelta, claiming the British Tour de France champion had shown some interest.

"On the last day, I was at the foot of the podium and I spoke about it with Chris Froome. He replied: 'everything has its price '," Tinkov said.

"You know, the Anglo-Saxons work like that. That's why I proposed 1million."