Alexey Lutsenko has finally reached good form, now in April as Astana Qazaqstan Team are desperate for UCI points. He was satisfied with his performance at Amstel Gold Race, however upset at the lack of collaboration from Andreas Kron, and also gave his opinion on the dominant performance of Tadej Pogacar.
“Fifth is not bad when you realize that less than 48 hours ago I finished and won the queen stage of the Tour of Sicily. After four hours of sleep, I also had a long travel day," Lutsenko said in a post-race interview. "...I don't think I did too much work in that breakaway. In the beginning I did a lot because it was important to me to keep moving forward with the group.”
The Kazakh took part in the decisive move of the day and then apparently made all the right decisions. It was about the legs and when Pogacar first pushed the pace Lutsenko was in the first chasing group. “We have to be honest, at the moment Pogacar is too strong for anyone. When I looked at my power meter, I saw that it wasn't going bad at all."
He was collaborating with Andreas Kron of Lotto Dstny but was visibly unsatisfied with the Dane's lack of work at first when the gap was small. All riders were on the limit after a brutal race that kicked off early. "The difference between Pogacar and his two fellow attackers and me was five seconds for a long time, but my companion Andreas Kron took – how shall I put it? – not really good about it," the Astana rider added.
The duo nevertheless kept working together but was just short of fighting for the podium. The duo sprinted to fourth and fifth, with Lutsenko having the more modest sprint to the line, as they watched Tom Pidcock survive to third spot.
“After two hundred kilometers it is not abnormal if you can no longer close a gap. But in the last kilometer it looked like we could catch Pidcock back for a podium place, but we came just too late. And to be honest, after six hours of racing I didn't have much in my legs either. They were dead. We are not machines, but I am happy with the result. What a tough day in the cold and the rain!" Lutsenko concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
- Exactly, you hit the nail on te head.... Ayuso sucks. 3 to 4 years ago some cycling experts were comparing Ayuso as the "new Pogi"... but he's not even close to him... either physically or mentally. Capish you naive schoolboy?PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- I think they expected more from riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Vauquelin and Magnus Sheffield. Imo they should have focused on signing Primoz Roglic, at least they´d probably have had a guaranteed podium GT finisher (he still might sign for them). Now they have 2nd or third tier riders in the classics (Ben Turner, Arensman, Beloki and hopefully Onley can step up again even more). Sheffield, August, Bernal, Tarling and Geoghan Hart did not live up to the star expectations eventually..Jonatan11-11-2026
- Fuuuuuuck, Ciccone and Pidcock on the same team, attacking like crazy and taking it to the other competitors? Yes, please.Occam11-11-2026
- Oh Cameron, this win has been a long time coming! We could not be more proud. All I’ll say is: roll on Glasgow 🔥anonymouscyclist11-11-2026
- Ayuso is another guy riding for GC but won't be able to consistently do it. Almost all of these guys, Skjelmose included, would be better off targeting shorter stage races or one-day races rather than shooting for a GT top-five.Occam11-11-2026
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🇳🇱 REPORT: @Amstelgoldrace @AlexeyLutsenko3 talks on his 5th place today: 📰👉bit.ly/3mwMNDn #AGR2023 #AstanaQazaqstanTeam 📷 @SprintCycling
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