Alexey Lutsenko Impresses with Eighth Place Finish on Mont Ventoux Stage
Alexey Lutsenko showcased his skill and determination with a strong eighth-place finish on the challenging Mont Ventoux stage of the Tour de France. The stage featured two brutal ascents of the iconic climb, and Lutsenko was able to hold his own among the top contenders.
Throughout the stage, Lutsenko and his Astana – Premier Tech team carefully balanced their focus on the stage win and maintaining Lutsenko’s position in the overall ranking. After several breakaway attempts were reeled in, a small group managed to establish a gap on the peloton.
Lutsenko, along with teammates Jakob Fuglsang and Ion Izagirre, stayed with the yellow jersey group, albeit a few minutes behind the leaders. Fuglsang and Izagirre eventually dropped back, riding at their own pace and finishing far behind the stage winner, Wout Van Aert.
On the final lap up Mont Ventoux, Lutsenko gave it his all, pushing on the descent towards the finish line. He crossed the line in a strong eighth place, propelling him to seventh place in the General Classification.
“It was a brutal stage today. Due to the overall ranking, I tried to stay as long as possible on the wheels of Pogacar, not to lose any time in the GC, and it worked quite well. On the top of Mont Ventoux after the second time, I found myself with Kelderman and the chase was on. I am happy with my 8th place and also that I could move up again one place on the overall ranking. Of course, the Tour is still long with some tricky and tough stages but so far I am satisfied with my performance.” – Alexey Lutsenko
The Tour de France stage 11 profile covered a distance of 198 kilometers from Sorgues to Malaucéne. The top three finishers were Wout Van Aert (Team Jumbo Visma), Kenny Elissonde, and Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo). The other Astana – Premier Tech riders, Jakob Fuglsang and Hugo Houle, finished in 37th and 53rd place, respectively.
Lutsenko’s impressive performance on the Mont Ventoux stage has marked him as a formidable contender in the race, and he will continue to strive for success in the remaining stages of the Tour de France.
