Alexey Lutsenko takes best result to date in IPT colors at Coppi e Bartali
Alexey Lutsenko’s preparations for the Ardennes Classics continued at pace as he recorded his best result since joining Israel – Premier Tech at Settimana Coppi e Bartali on Saturday.
Lutsenko placed third on Saturday’s final stage in Forlí to complete his hat-trick of top-10 results in the five-day race, and moved up to fourth overall thanks to the bonus seconds he collected at the finish line.
The Kazakh rider rode attentively and smartly throughout the 132.5-kilometer stage, monitoring the countless attacks that came on the approach to and on the slopes of the day’s final climb, the category 2 Rocca delle Caminate.
After Jay Vine (UAD) broke clear late on to solo to the victory, Lutsenko finished second in the reduced bunch sprint behind to wrap up a strong week in Italy.
“After a long training camp in Tenerife and this week of racing, I’m happy with my shape,” says Lutsenko. “I’m focused on preparing for the Ardennes, starting with another camp in Tenerife next week, and I’ll be working hard there to make more progress.
“Today was a short stage – it was fast, there was rain at the start, it was cold, and the whole peloton has been full gas since the first day. Many teams tried to split the peloton on the final climb. My legs had a good feeling – I tried to make a breakaway, but in the final I concentrated more on the sprint. This worked out for me as I took the bonus seconds and moved up on GC.”
