Kazakhstan’s Alexey Lutsenko Finishes 9th in the Tour de France General Classification
The 109th edition of the Tour de France concluded today in Paris with its final stage to the Champs Elysees. Alexey Lutsenko from Kazakhstan’s Astana Qazaqstan Team finished in 9th place in the General Classification, marking his second consecutive top-10 finish in the race.
“I came here at the Tour de France with a goal to try again to do a good result in the General Classification. The preparation…was not a perfect one as well as all first part of the year with the crashes, sickness, and bad luck. But, together with the team we were able to do our best…I’d like to get more from this Tour both in some stages and the overall standings, but that’s how it is. However, I did my best in these three weeks and now I am satisfied with the result.” – Alexey Lutsenko
The team faced challenges throughout the race, with rider Samuele Battistella being replaced by Alexandr Riabushenko, Gianni Moscon abandoning due to post-COVID consequences, and Fabio Felline falling ill. Despite these setbacks, Lutsenko and the team performed well, especially in the mountains during the third week.
“We missed a stage win here in the Tour de France, but as you could see, many teams still remained without a victory. However, our Kazakh rider Alexey Lutsenko is once again in the Top-10 of Tour de France and there is no doubt that it is another strong result for domestic cycling.” – Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of Astana Qazaqstan Team
The Astana Qazaqstan Team also finished in 10th place in the team classification. Another notable performance came from Kazakh rider Andrey Zeits, who completed his 20th Grand Tour without abandoning any of its 420 stages.
“Perhaps it is a nice achievement for me, and I am happy with it. But the most important is the fact that in every Grand Tour I raced during my career I tried to do my best for the leaders, for the team…this is a solid result for cycling in Kazakhstan.” – Andrey Zeits
The Tour de France continues to showcase the strength and talent of Kazakhstan’s cycling team, and Lutsenko’s top-10 finish is a testament to their dedication and skill.
