Alexander Kristoff extends contract at Katusha

Alexander Kristoff has ended speculation about his future by extending his contract at Russian team Katusha at least until the end of the 2016 season.

Kristoff's coach Stein Orn recently sparked rumours that the Tour of Flanders winner could leave Katusha, possibly for Team Sky, but the Norwegian sprinter is happy to stay put.

"It is unbelievable how the team was going the last months," Kristoff said. "They all worked so hard for me. The teammates trust me and I trust them.

"For the first time I could work from a sprinter’s train. Our newly arrived riders all proved to be the right choices.

"I had a contract till the end of this year but my hope was to be able to stay with this winning team. It didn’t take us so long to reach a new agreement. I am very happy"

Kristoff has been on imperious form so far in 2015, with ten wins to his name and top-10 finishes in Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

Katusha has not released any further details of Kristoff's new contract but promised more riders would be signed in the coming weeks.