Lutsenko Conquers the Challenging Climb of Babadağ

Kazakhstan national champion Alexey Lutsenko emerged victorious in the 58th Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye, conquering the difficult climb to Babadağ in Fethiye. Lutsenko, known for his impressive cycling career, claimed his 40th win as a professional cyclist. He finished ahead of Ben Zwiehoff of Bora-Hansgrohe and Harold Tejada from Astana.

In the post-race press conference, Lutsenko described the climb as the toughest of his cycling career. He said, “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 only 104km long, but the climb to Babadağ proved to be a challenge. A breakaway group formed after an hour of racing, with riders including Umberto Poli, Robigzon Oyola, and Oliver Mattheis. Oyola continued on his own as they tackled the cat. 1 climb. Lutsenko explained that he had to use his head as well during the 18km climb.

A group of nine riders caught up with Frenchman Alexis Guérin, with Lutsenko and Tejada from Astana, and Zwiehoff and Lipowitz from Bora-Hansgrohe forming a leading group. Tejada sacrificed himself for Lutsenko, who managed to outpace Zwiehoff in the final kilometer.

Zwiehoff, who has a background in mountain biking, found his experience beneficial during the race. He said, “It helped to be a mountain biker for the descent before the last climb. It was pretty technical.” He expressed satisfaction with his second-place finish, stating, “I did my best so I’m pretty happy to finish second. It’s a solid result.”

This victory marks Lutsenko’s 40th win, adding to his success in the Asian Games and the road race. Lutsenko expressed his motivation to win the overall race, stating, “I’m on the right track for winning the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye. But it’s only stage 3 today, there’s still a long way to go, there are other hard stages, I’ll have to control but I might as well try and win one more stage.”

Lutsenko praised the race and his team, expressing his determination to secure the overall victory. He said, “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.”