Katusha rider on learning the Classics and Russian sport
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Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Team Katusha)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha) was third at Gent-Wevelgem(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Vyacheslav Kuznetsov (Katusha) looks for a smooth path through the cobbles(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The quarter of Peter Sagan, Sep Vanmarcke, Viacheslav Kuznetsov and Fabian Cancellara(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) wins Gent-Wevelgem(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) wins the four-man sprint to victory at Gent-Wevelgem(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
In Peter Sagan’s account of the finale of Gent-Wevelgem, Viacheslav Kuznetsov was simply “the guy from Katusha.” In Fabian Cancellara’s version, he was “the Russian.” No matter who was telling the story, Kuznetsov was the unknown quantity of the winning move at Gent-Wevelgem, where he finished a surprising third.
“I thought if I started the sprint first, from the back, it could be a surprise for them, and then I’d have more of a chance than if I’d waited for them to start: I mean, it would have been difficult to pass Peter Sagan,” he said.
“This was maybe the best day in my life,” he said.
“Now morale is good again after Gent-Wevelgem. We’re waiting for other races, for De Panne and Flanders. For sure we will fight there.”
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
