Alexey Lutsenko Takes Third in the Last Mountain Stage of Tour de Suisse
Alexey Lutsenko, the Kazakh leader of Astana Qazaqstan Team, showcased his strength in the last mountain stage of the Tour de Suisse. Lutsenko spent the day in the breakaway and finished in a strong third place atop the Malbun climb in Liechtenstein.
Lutsenko commented on his strategy during the race, saying, “I had a plan to go in a break today and to try something there. I decided not to react to the first attacks and to wait until the first big climb Lukmanierpass, there I counterattacked and joined a group of riders in front. Finally, we got a good gap and started working well together. In a moment a few riders attacked from our group, and I had to counterattack to bring them back. Well, we came back together on the descent, but Gianni Moscon, who was with me in the breakaway, could not follow us anymore. There was so hot on the last climb to Malbun, and maybe I started it a bit too fast. However, later I tried to get my own rhythm, fighting for a stage win until the last kilometer. I stayed really close to Pinot, but could not catch him until the finish line. Well, I think it was a good stage for me and I am really happy that today I was feeling much better than in the previous days. Indeed, I had a bad crash, and the question was to continue or to abandon, but I was able to pass these tough moments through and today I felt like I am coming back to normal.”
The stage started in Ambri airport in Switzerland and finished with a tough climb to Malbun in Liechtenstein. Lutsenko was part of a group of 19 riders who broke away and he launched an attack on the final climb alongside Thibaut Pinot and Ion Izagirre. Despite fighting for a stage win until the last moment, Lutsenko finished in third place. Pinot claimed the stage victory.
The new race leader after stage 7 is Colombian rider Sergio Higuita. Alexey Lutsenko currently holds the 19th position. The final stage will be an individual time trial in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Photo credit: @Gettysport
