Pavel Tonkov
Pavel Sergeyevich Tonkov (; born 9 February 1969 in Izhevsk) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Russia. His talents were first showcased when winning the world junior title as part of the Soviet Union team in 1987. This alerted the world to his talents, and he turned pro in 1992 with the RUSS-Baïkal team. Professional career. His biggest success was the overall win in the 1996 Giro d'Italia. He went on to place 2nd in the following two editions of the Italian race and all total he placed in the top 5 of the Giro on  seven occasions. He also had two top 5 performances in the Vuelta and while he entered the Tour de France on three occasions he never completed one. He won the 1995 Tour de Suisse and the 1997 Tour de Romandie. He placed 3rd overall in the 2000 Vuelta a España. Throughout much of his career, he was a client of the controversial Michele Ferrari. He retired in 2005. Personal life. He lives in Córdoba, Spain, where he manages a hotel.