Last year Marco Haller (Katusha) was Austrian National Champion and overall winner of the Tour des Fjords (2.HC) - but this season he was unable to repeat these successes.

A 10th place at the Primus Classic Impanis (1.1) and fourth place in the National Championships were the personal highlights of the 25-year-old.

"It was a nice time with you, I will miss you,” Haller tweeted when he said goodbye to his champion’s jersey.

For his team, however, Haller was of great importance even without the victories. The Austrian did numerous important races such as the spring classics or the Tour de France, as a reliable helper at the side of captain Alexander Kristoff.

"It is our rock. He thinks only of his captain, that is the right spirit for a team sport,” team manager Viacheslav Ekimov praised the only Austrian in the ranks of the Russian team.

Even though he was only 34th on the street race of Doha, the world championships in Qatar were another highlight in racing calendar of Haller who has been under contract at Katusha since 2012.

Haller will once again be part of the squad in the coming season which will have a German sponsor, new international profile and a Swiss license under the name Katusha-Alpecin.

"I feel as part of the project. I had opportunities to sign elsewhere but I've preferred to stay here because the mood is good," said Haller, who will continue to play an important role in Kristoff's sprint train. And perhaps he will be able to achieve personal success like in the 2015 season.