Assan Bazayez of Astana Is Kazakhstan Road Race Champion
For the third day in a row the Astana Cycling Team won a gold medal in the national championships. On Saturday, Assan Bazayev took the national road title in Kazakhstan. Bazayev, known for his sprinting ability, finished solo in Karaganda. Sergey Renez (Ulan) was second with Maxim Gurov (A-Style Somn) finishing third.
Team Astana had seven of their eight Kazakh riders in the race (a sick Sergey Yakovlev did not start). Bazayev’s teammate, Dmitriy Muravyev, joined him in the decisive breakaway of eight riders. In the last kilometers of the race, Bazayev escaped with Renez and with 500 meters to go, left him to win solo.
The 27 year old Bazayev, a native of the city of Astana, captured his first road title as a professional rider. This season Bazayev finished 15 times in the top ten. He was impressive in the Tour of Luxemburg and the Tour of Turkey, where he won the points classification. In addition to those achievements, he was instrumental in Alberto Contador’s 2008 Giro d’Italia victory.
“Last season I saw how proud my team-mate Maxim Iglinskiy wore the Kazakhstan national jersey. I will wear my national colors with the same dignity and pride”, commented the new champion. “I am proud to be Kazakh and want the whole world to know that it is a true honor to represent this country. I will try to win as many races as possible in my new jersey, in an effort to thank the Kazakh authorities for what they did for us the last few years.”
Result National Road Championship Kazakhstan (Karaganda, 170 K)
1. Assan Bazayev (ASTANA); 2. Sergey Renez (ULAN); 3. Maxim Gurov (A-STYLE-SOMN); 4. Dmitriy Muravyev (ASTANA)
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