Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) on the drops(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Astana's Alexey Lutsenko had ambitions for victory on the 13th stage of the Vuelta a España and his late attack from the breakaway saw the Kazakh rider come close to landing a debut grand tour stage win.
The 21-year-old had come close to the win on stage 9 when he finished runner-up to Winner Anacona (Lampre-Merida) and was looking to go one better in Obregón.
The former U23 world champion was one of the 11 riders who formed the day's breakaway on the 188km stage from Belorado to Obregón. The breakaway, which had enjoyed a lead of two minutes over the peloton, started to splinter when Orica-GreenEdge and FDJ.fr came to the front of the main bunch to up the ante of the chase.
At this point, Lutsenko explained his only option for victory was to go it alone.
"I looked back and they couldn't work with me anymore – it was time to go for the finish," he said of his decision to attack the dwindling break.
Lutsenko went solo for almost five kilometers in the finale of the stage but with seven kilometers left, he was swallowed up by the bunch.
With his hopes of a stage win extinguished, Lutsenko rolled over the line almost eight minutes down on the day's winner Dani Navarro (Cofidis) in 121 place.
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