Aleksandr Vlasov

Aleksandr Vlasov is a Russian cyclist who turned professional with the Gazprom-Rusvelo team in 2018. The winner of the 'Baby Giro' stage race for under-23 riders that year, Vlasov established himself as a stage racer. A stage win at the Tour of Austria on the Kitzbüheler Horn further proved his climbing prowess, leading the Astana team to extend an offer for his first WorldTour contract in 2020.

Vlasov endured the COVID-19 pandemic, racing to second overall at the Tour de la Provence and winning a stage before racing shut down for six months. He came back with a podium in the Route d'Occitanie, the win at the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé challenge, a podium finish in Il Lombardi and the win at the Giro dell'Emilia and a top 10 overall in Tirreno-Adriatico - all before his first Grand Tour. He raced the Vuelta a España and finished 11th overall in his first season with Astana.

In 2021, Vlasov came second overall in Paris-Nice after Primož Roglič famously crashed out of the race lead on the final stage. He raced the Giro d'Italia, finishing fourth overall behind Egan Bernal. He soon announced he had signed with Bora-Hansgrohe.

In 2022 with his new team, Vlasov started the year with the overall victory in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and followed that with fourth at the UAE Tour. He dropped out of Paris-Nice as illness swept through the peloton. A podium at Itzulia Basque Country and Flèche Wallonne, the overall win at Tour de Romandie and a stage win at the Tour de Suisse gave Bora-Hansgrohe hope for Vlasov's GC prospects in his Tour de France debut, but lost time due to a crash. He fought back to finish fifth.
Illness hampered his 2023 season and he abandoned the Giro d'Italia. He bounced back to land on the podium in the Clasica San Sebastian and took second overall at the Vuelta a Burgos. He closed out the season with seventh at the Vuelta a España and a podium at Tre Valli Varesine.
In 2024, Vlasov started off strongly with multiple podium finishes in early season events in Spain, crowned by a fine solo stage win in Paris-Nice on one of the tougher mountain stages on the closing weekend. Fourth in the Volta a Catalunya, second in the Tour de Romandie and sixth in the Criterium du Dauphiné despite working hard for teammate Primoz Roglič all boded well for the summer
However, a first week crash and fractured ankle put paid to any chance of shining in the Tour de France. Then although he could return to racing in the Vuelta a España, his GC options were overshadowed by Roglič's successful bid for a fourth, record-equalling victory, his best chance of individual success on the dauntingly long Cuitu Negru disintegrated when he was defeated by race revelation Pablo Castrillo (Equipo Kern Pharma).