Alexey Lutsenko

This is the page about Alexey Lutsenko. The Kazakh road cyclist has been competing for Astana Qazaqstan since 2013. IDLProCycling.com keeps a close eye on all news related to Lutsenko, along with maintaining a biography of his career.

Lutsenko wins a lot as a junior

Alexey Lutsenko was born on September 7, 1992, in the small town of Petropavl. It was evident from his junior years that the Kazakh had a bright future ahead. In 2010, he achieved his first major victory as a junior, becoming the Asian Road Champion. Two years later, he rode for the development team of Astana Qazaqstan Team and became the world champion in the under-23 category. He also won a stage in the Tour de l'Avenir with the development team.

Since 2013, Lutsenko has been part of the WorldTour team of Astana Qazaqstan. In his first year with the team, he did not secure any victories but made a strong impression in the Tour de France. In 2014, Lutsenko started to see victories, with his first being the time trial at the Asian Games. That year, he also won a stage in the Tour of Denmark and took home the points jersey. His final win of the season was in the Tour of Almaty, a race he would also win in the next three years.

First victory in a grand tour

Lutsenko's next highlight was in the 2017 Vuelta a España. In the fifth stage, he crossed the finish line solo to claim his first grand tour stage win. He also won gold in the team time trial at the Asian Games. 2017 was the year he reached the podium for the first and last time in a major classic, finishing third in Dwars door Vlaanderen behind Belgians Yves Lampaert and Philippe Gilbert.

In 2018, Lutsenko's performance was less consistent, but he still managed to win the Tour of Oman and a stage in both the Tour of Austria and the Tour of Turkey. The highlight of that year was undoubtedly his victory at the Kazakh National Championships, where he became national champion for the first time in his career. In 2019, he had a similar year, becoming national champion again and winning the Tour of Oman. He also achieved victories at the Coppa Sabatini and the Memorial Marco Pantani.

Lutsenko also wins in the Tour de France

At the start of the 2020 season, and before racing was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lutsenko secured third places in the general classification at both the Tour de la Provence and the UAE Tour. He then won the sixth stage of the Tour de France following a solo attack that lasted 17 kilometers. Lutsenko's next victory came during the 2021 Critérium du Dauphiné, where he won the fourth-stage individual time trial. He led the general classification after the sixth stage but ultimately finished second overall behind Richie Porte. He achieved his best ever general classification result in the Tour de France with a seventh place in the 2021 edition but only secured one more victory for the rest of the year, at the Coppa Ugo Agostoni.

Lutsenko opened his 2022 season with a win at the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, breaking away solo in the last 25 kilometers to claim victory. During the Tour de France, he climbed the general classification, breaking into the top ten after high finishes on consecutive climbs in Peyragudes and Hautacam. He eventually finished ninth, nearly 23 minutes behind the overall winner, Jonas Vingegaard.

In 2023, he won gold for the third time in his career at the Asian Games, this time in the individual time trial. This was also the year he won the Tour of Sicily. Additionally, he became the Kazakh champion again in both the time trial and road race. He continued to demonstrate his ability to perform consistently throughout the season and bring something extra at the end of the year. In late 2023, he did so by winning the Memorial Pantani for the second time. He also showcased his class in the Tour of Turkey, winning the general classification by taking control in the grueling climb to Babadag during the third stage.