"Becoming world champion would be something special" - Alexey Lutsenko dreams big after near-miss at 2022 World Championships

Alexey Lutsenko was in the winning move at the Wollongong World Championships together with Remco Evenepoel some months ago, but the Kazakh rider admits that he is aiming to become the first Asian road racing World Champion.

"Becoming world champion would be something special for me. It would be more special than winning anything else because if you win this race you go to all the other races with the rainbow jersey," Lutsenko said in an interview with Velonews. "And even if you lose it the following year, you will always have the borders for the rest of your career"

In Wollongong he spotted the crucial move of Evenepoel, but couldn't keep up in the final ascent of the race, eventually being caught by the peloton and riding to 24th later. Lutsenko is a former under-23 World Champion and continues to show his best form in the hilly one-day races however, and Glasgow will be another opportunity for him to strike.

Astana are going through very big changes as the team has seen Vincenzo Nibali retire and Miguel Ángel López fired due to suspicions of use of prohibited substances most likely. Once a thriving mountain team, nowadays Lutsenko is the headliner in this field. The team will aim to help Mark Cavendish into victory at the Tour de France, whilst Lutsenko may decide to not take part in the GC fight.

"It will depend on the objective of the team. As for the general, if I could change something and take a step forward, I think I could reach the top 5 or the top 3," he admits, however as the level keeps rising yearly his chances of finishing on the podium get slimmer.

He is ready to have new ambitions however at the Grand Boucle this summer: "Winning a stage is a result that will always go down in history, whereas a top five, no one will remember in a few years."