Kazakhstan claims mixed relay gold at Asian Road Cycling Championship in Almaty

Images | ©SprintCycling

We focused on the stage finale and aimed to fight for the victory. Throughout the day, the team supported me and Harold, allowing us to be well-positioned for the final climb. I gave it my all in the last meters, felt good, and finished second, while Harold took fourth place. I think we showed a strong performance, and I’m looking forward to the upcoming stages", said Clément Champoussin.

The team's plan today was for Clément and me to save energy for the final climb. I want to thank my teammates for their support, as they helped us all day long. The day went well, and we were able to fight on the final climb, finishing second and fourth. I think it's a good result. Now, we focus on the following stages ahead", said Harold Tejada.

Images | Nassos Triantafyllou / cyclingphotos.gr

It was a very fast race. The route and today's strong wind made the race very tough. During the crosswind section, we followed all the attacks, and at one point, Gustav (Wang) and I found ourselves in a break. After a few kilometers, some guys started attacking in the break and we just kept following them. In the final, I followed an attack from a rider from the team that won the race. After that moment, we were only three at the front, and we kept pushing until the finish. I lost in the sprint against him, maybe I should have started my sprint first, but that's how it is. I will try again next time.I can’t finish this message without thinking of Alex (Vinokurov jr.), who crashed during training this week. This second place is for him. And thanks to the whole team, we had a really good day," said Pierre-Henry Basset.

We were planning to achieve victory today, however, the race situation was quite chaotic. We needed to adjust our race plan because after the climb on the first part of the route, it was clear that we would not make it to a bunch sprint today with our sprinters. There were plenty of attacks and strong headwind which changed everything, so we played it differently. I am glad about Basset's first podium for our team and the way he and Gustav raced today," added the team Sports Director Alexander Shushemoin.