Expert Lutsenko Tames the Steep Gradients of Babadağ

Kazakhstan national champion Alexey Lutsenko emerged as the victor in the challenging climb to Babadağ during the 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye. Lutsenko, who is considered one of the top contenders in the general classification, conquered the climb with an impressive solo effort to secure his 40th professional career win. He finished ahead of former German mountain-biker Ben Zwiehoff and his Colombian teammate Harold Tejada.

Speaking at the post-race press conference, Lutsenko described the climb as the toughest of his cycling career: “This was the hardest climb of my life as a cyclist! Especially at the end of the season, it’s hard but even before the last climb, the previous one was very hard too. For the last one only, we’ve done one hour of climbing always at the limit, so yes, I can confirm this was the hardest climb of my cycling career. I never experienced anything as hard before.”

The stage was short, with a distance of only 104km. A breakaway group formed after one hour of racing, which included Umberto Poli, Robigzon Oyola, and Oliver Mattheis. However, Oyola continued on his own as they approached the demanding cat. 1 climb to Babadağ.

Lutsenko reflected on the challenge of the climb, saying, “On those 18km of climbing, I had to go with my head too.” Frenchman Alexis Guérin made a solo breakaway but was eventually caught by a group of nine riders. With 10km to go, the leading group consisted of Lutsenko, Tejada, Zwiehoff, and Florian Lipowitz. Tejada selflessly sacrificed himself for Lutsenko’s benefit, ultimately allowing Lutsenko to outpace Zwiehoff in the final kilometer and secure the win.

Lutsenko expressed his gratitude to his team for their support: “I had to control my rivals from Bora-Hansgrohe but I also had to control myself… The whole team took part in this win, also our sprinters pulled in the first part of the stage. Even Gleb Syritsa, a rider whose weight is 90kg, rode for me up the hill!”

Zwiehoff, reflecting on his second-place finish, highlighted his skills as a mountain biker, which aided him in the technical descent and final stretch of cobbled road. He praised Lutsenko’s experience and acknowledged that his second-place finish was a respectable result.

The win at Babadağ marked Lutsenko’s 40th victory as a professional cyclist. He recently won the individual time trial at the Asian Games and is now setting his sights on winning the overall Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye.

Lutsenko commented, “I’m on the right track for winning the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye… This is a beautiful race and a very nice way to finish the season… We have a great team. We can play our cards for the final victory.”

With many more challenging stages ahead, Lutsenko remains motivated and determined to secure the overall victory in the Tour.