"Astana has become my second family. But it's time for a change" - Alexey Lutsenko explains shock transfer exit

Some things in the peloton just seem a perfect fit. Mathieu van der Poel riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck, Tadej Pogacar at UAE Team Emirates and up until 2024, Alexey Lutsenko competing in the colours of the Astana Qazaqstan Team. From 2025 though, the Kazakh climber is set for a new challenge.

After more than a decade riding for the Astana Qazaqstan Team, the now 32-year-old Lutsenko departs for pastures new at Israel - Premier Tech in 2025, one of the more surprising transfer switches of the off-season so far. Speaking in conversation with Wielerflits from the 2024 Tour of Guangxi, Lutsenko explained some of the reasons behind his unexpected move.

"It's okay. I've spent 12 years in the team, you know. I need new motivation to keep going for good results," the former Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana stage winner explains. "Astana has become my second family. But it's time for a change. It's not that special in my eyes. Sometimes you have to dare to change something. Only then will you make a difference"

Thankfully for Lutsenko, Astana team boss Alexandre Vinokourov empathised with his compatriots yearning for a new challenge. “Vino definitely understood me. When I first spoke to him about a possible departure from the team, he was fine. It was completely okay. Transfers are normal in cycling life. That's part of it,” Lutsenko recalls. "I joined Astana as a regular rider, but I have won 42 victories in their jersey. I have won a stage in the Tour, in the Vuelta and Paris-Nice. Astana has done everything for me and I have always given myself one hundred percent."

“It is a pity that my last year with the team was not super good. In the Tour de France I fell in the last week. After that I had problems with my back and my knee. Those are still there, but after the off-season I will have recovered again. It certainly had an impact on my autumn, but that is part of it," he concludes, previewing where he may target in 2025. "My feeling at the moment is that the one-day classics such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Amstel Gold Race, as well as week-long stage races, are my best chance. I don't have that as much in the grand tours. I was already eighth in Liège. But if you have a big and strong team around you, it is possible to achieve a good result there."