Mikhail Borisovich Ignatiev (Михаил Борисович Игнатьев) (born 7 May 1985) is a former Russian professional track and road bicycle racer. He recently rode for UCI ProTour team Team Katusha,[1] as well as participating in various track events. He is known as a time trial specialist, and also has a reputation for making the breakaway in road races and trying, often with success, to solo to victory.
Career
In 2004 Ignatiev achieved his biggest success to date, winning a gold medal in the points race at the Athens Olympics. On the road, Ignatiev came to prominence with his ability in the individual time trial. In 2002 and 2003, he was the World Junior Champion, while in 2005 he became the World Under 23 Champion.
Ignatiev signed his first professional contract in 2006, when he started riding for the Tinkoff Restaurants cycling team. This team competed mainly in Russia, but Ignatiev made a big impact during a series of Spanish races in the middle part of the season.
When Tinkoff Credit Systems was established from Tinkoff Restaurants in 2007, Ignatiev moved to Marina di Massa, Italy. Early in the 2007 cycling season, Ignatiev made a name for himself by winning a stage of the Tour Méditerranéen and the Trofeo Laigueglia with successful late attacks. He continued his form throughout the season and won two time trials, the Prologue in Ster Elektrotoer, Stage 4 of the Regio-Tour and the first stage of Vuelta a Burgos.
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