Vlasov moves into WorldTour with Astana Pro Team
NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM - The 23-year-old Russian rider Alexander Vlasov will make his move to Astana Pro Team on January 1st, 2020. The relevant agreement for the next two seasons has been signed between the team and the rider, Kazinform has learnt from the club’s press service.
This season Vlasov is defending the colors of the pro continental team Gazprom-RusVelo. The rider had the current contract with his present team for 2020 season, but by mutual agreement of the parties, an early transfer from Gazprom-RusVelo to Astana Pro Team has been agreed.
«Having joined Gazprom-RusVelo, I found myself in a friendly and united team with an excellent organization of work. From the first months I felt on my place, where I could develop calmly and confidently. I will never forget the victory at the youth Giro d’Italia and my first professional win at a stage of the Tour of Austria earlier this year. I am very grateful to everyone: all teammates, staff, management and sponsor of the team for their support. In Gazprom-RusVelo I grew up as a professional. Now I feel that it is time to face the next challenge and to develop further as a WorldTour team rider I am very happy that I will make this step with such a famous team as Astana Pro Team,» said Alexander Vlasov.
«Alexander did with us all the way in the youth category and made his first steps in a big professional sport; during the joint work we managed to achieve a lot of serious successes, but I am sure that the main achievements of this talented athlete are still ahead. Athlete development is a long and laborious process in which it is crucial to do certain steps, and the transfer to the WorldTour level will allow Alexander Vlasov to take part in the biggest races around the world. And the most important for us is that this way he will begin as a part of a friendly team Astana, where the work with the young athletes is organized at the highest level,» said Renat Khamidulin, general manager of Gazprom-RusVelo.
Alexander Vlasov is a young and very talented rider from Vyborg, Russia. He has turned pro with Gazprom-RusVelo at age of 21. In this team he has scored his first big results. Thus, in 2018 Vlasov took his first serious victory, winning the youth Giro d’Italia. Also, he finished 4th in the overall classification of the Tour de l’Avenir, another famous youth race.
Vlasov is spending a very successful season of 2019. Among his best result could be noted a stage victory at the Tour of Austria, a third place in the general classification of the Tour de Slovenie and the Vuelta Asturias, a fourth place at the Giro di Sicilia and a 5th place at the Tour of Austria.
«Vlasov is spending a very impressive season, demonstrating a high stability and a character to fight until the end. As we could see from his results, the rider is specializing in the stage races, while we were looking for this kind of rider. Vlasov is young and ambitious, he has a great potential, which is easily recognized. In Gazprom-RusVelo the rider has got a solid cycling school, has got a base that allows him already now to fight on the same level with many eminent rivals. It is quite logical that the next step for Alexander is the WorldTour, where the athlete could achieve even greater success. Knowing about his current contract, we came to the management of Gazprom-RusVelo with a proposal to allow the transfer to our team for the future of this talented athlete. And I am happy that we have found understanding in the person of the general manager Renat Khamidulin, who supported this step,» said Alexandr Vinokurov, general manager of Astana Pro Team.