GAZPROM-RUSVELO IN POLAND TO GIVE A GOOD FIGHT

The Tour de Pologne will take place from the 4th to the 10th of August, with 18 World Tour teams participating by right; besides these, there will also be riders from some professional teams invited by the Lang Team organizers. One of the Wild Cards for the 2018 edition has been assigned to team Gazprom-RusVelo. Thus, for the fourth year in a row, the Russian squad is confirming its presence in Poland.

 

“Gazprom-RusVelo is a significant cycling entity that has been seriously committed to their project for many seasons. It’s a competitive team with a good mix of young riders matched with more experienced members. They always manage to carve out an important space for themselves in the races they take part in; here in Poland, in previous editions they have always honored our invitation to the fullest. These are the reasons that have prompted us to renew our faith in them year after year, rewarding their consistency and commitment. Add to this the pride and joy of seeing Gazprom-RusVelo riding bicycles by my great friend Ernesto Colnago. We share a relationship based on mutual esteem and respect; it’s a collaboration that has lasted for many years. This 2018 edition is very important to us; we’re celebrating the 90 year history of the Tour de Pologne and 100 years of Polish independence. It means a lot to us to have a group made up of riders and teams of the highest level lining up for the start,” explains General Director for the Tour de Polgone, Czeslaw Lang.

 

“We are very happy with the faith and respect that the Lang Team places in us. The Tour de Pologne is the most important stage race on our summer calendar. Getting invited to participate in a World Tour event provides a good showcase for the entire team and furthermore, for the riders it’s a great chance to make a good impression on the international cycling scene. This year we have been able to ride in several World Tour events, including the Abu Dhabi Tour, the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Milano-Sanremo. May 1st we will be at the Eschborn-Frankfurt. We’re trying to put together a high quality schedule; for example in these days we are riding contemporaneously in the Tour of the Alps and the Tour of Croatia. This year we haven’t won anything yet but we’re having a good season nonetheless. We are one of the teams that have put in the most kilometers in the breaks. Cycling should provide a great show, entertainment and action. It’s about getting the crowds fired up, and Czeslaw Lang has known this for quite some time,” says the Gazprom-RusVelo team’s General Manager Renat Khamidulin.

 

“For a Russian team like ours the Tour de Pologne definitely has a special meaning, because this is the most important cycling event in all of Eastern Europe; it’s a race with a long tradition, as proven by this year’s celebrations of its 90 year history. The level of organization, the quality of the athletes in the group, the types of routes planned out, the international media coverage, the excitement of the crowds that line the streets every day… All these aspects are what make the Tour de Pologne great, and we are proud to be attending this event. In my opinion, the organization is on par with all the other major stage races,” continues Renat Khamidulin.

 

“Of course, we already know which riders we will be counting on for such an important race. However, in the weeks leading up to the event we will also consider which members are in the best physical shape, because we want to line up the most competitive formation possible in Poland. We will especially call on our youngest riders; I’m thinking Aleksandr Vlasov, Artem Nych and Nicolay Cherkasov, all between the ages of 21 and 23, just to name a few. During the race in Poland the riders will be able to count on all the experience of our Sports Director Paolo Rosola, a highly experienced coach who won 12 stages in the Giro when he was a rider. Now he’s doing a really good job with our young talent. Our main goal for the Tour de Pologne will be to put up a good fight on the finish line of all the stages. We will be vying to get into the right breaks and will be ever ready in the sprints or whatever other situation the race might bring,” concludes Renat Khamidulin.