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Lutsenko gifts Fedorov gold in Asian Games road race
/ Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT - AFP
Lutsenko gifts Fedorov gold in Asian Games road race
Young Kazakh rider Yevgeniy Fedorov was gifted gold by decorated teammate Alexey Lutsenko as they crossed the line nearly six minutes ahead of the rest in the Asian Games men's road race on Thursday.
The pair, who ride professionally for Astana Qazaqstan alongside British great Mark Cavendish, timed their race to perfection on the challenging 207.7 kilometre (128-mile) course through the Chinese mountains.
After sitting in the chasing peloton, defending champion Lutsenko took control with 80km left and the duo stayed together as they pulled clear.
They were seen chatting to each other as they cruised to the finish, with Lutsenko waving his teammate over the line first in 4hr 25min 29sec.
"You could see that we worked together quite well in the first half of the race, taking turns in the lead," said 23-year-old Fedorov.
"But in the end we decided that I could win a gold medal because Alexey had already won a gold medal in this race at the 2018 Asian Games."
Mongolia's Jambaltsamts Sainbayar came third, 5min 42sec behind.
Lutsenko, the only rider in Hangzhou to have won Grand Tour stages, had already taken gold in the individual time trial for a third straight time, by a huge two minutes.
"There was no competition between the two of us. The goal was to secure the gold medal for our country," he said of allowing Fedorov to take the glory, adding that the race was not easy.
"In the beginning we put on the full gas. In the last 75km, we wanted to break away.
"It is a good day for me, for Yevgeniy and for my country."
Hong Kong's Yang Qianyu stormed to a surprise gold in the women's road race on Wednesday, while Uzbekistan's Olga Zabelinskaya won the time trial.
C.Valero--HdM
