"Five years ago I finished second in the Tour of Turkey, I hope to win the final classification this year" - Alexey Lutsenko takes control of GC after victory on Queen Stage
Cycling
Stage 3 of the 2023 Tour of Turkey will live long in the memory of all those who rode it as the Badabag climb made a brutal introduction into World Tour cycling.
Alexey Lutsenko was the man who emerged victorious and speaking afterwards, the Kazakh national champion was in awe of the ascent to the line. “The last climb was really incredible… I have never experienced this before in my career, such a long climb. It was really tough all the time, with steep percentages," he recapped. "This was really a tough climb for everyone."
Heading into the final few kilometres, Lutsenko was part of a leading trio alongside Astana Qazaqstan Team, teammate Harold Tejada and BORA - hansgrohe's Ben Zwiehoff. “I am happy with the result. I can also count on a very strong team in this race," says Lutsenko. "In the opening phase, guys like Michele Gazzoli and Gleb Syritsa were in the lead and in the final Harold Tejada was very strong and important."
Unsurprisingly perhaps, given the destruction caused on the final climb, Lutsenko is also now sitting pretty atop the general classification standings. “This was only the third stage. Another tough ride is planned for tomorrow. Five years ago I finished second in the Tour of Turkey and I hope to win the final classification this year.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
Loading
🇹🇷 PHOTO OF THE DAY: @tourofturkiye A super tough but nice win for @AlexeyLutsenko3 ! #TUR2023 #AstanaQazaqstanTeam 📷 @SprintCycling
Write a comment