Katusha won their fifth consecutive Russian title today in Samara, all with different riders. This time, it was Vladimir Isaychev who came out on top.

In the 196-km race, the early breakaway consisted of Pavel Kochetkov (RusVelo), Igor Frolov (Itera-Katusha) and Sergey Belykh (Lokosphinx). With 100 km to go, four Katusha riders – Vladimir Gusev, Vladimir Isaychev, Pavel Brutt and Eduard Vorganov – attacked, with Ivan Rovny (Ceramica Flaminia-Fondriest) and Andrey Solomennikov (RusVelo) following.

The sextet bridged to the front, and in the last 30 km riders started attacking for the win. Gusev, Isaychev and Solomennikov got away, and Gusev sacrificed his own chances for his teammate. Isaychev attacked on the last hill with 1,5 km to and could hold a gap of a few seconds to the line. Gusev took second place, with Solomennikov third.

Isaychev was over the moon: “I am very happy today! I can’t describe how happy I am. This is the most important victory in my career. To win the Russian championships in such a great race, in such a strong fight, in my home city Samara – it’s something special!”

“I want to thank my team for the great support and the help they provided me today during the whole race. It was a hard race, so the team’s work was crucial for my success. In the final part of the race I tried to stay calm and to save some energy for the decisive attack. I could do it and in the last climb I gave my all. This victory is very special for me, so I want to dedicate it to my brother Alexander, who tragically died last year.”

Result:

1. Vladimir Isaychev (Katusha) 4:47:43

2. Vladimir Gusev (Katusha) +0:04

3. Andrey Solomennikov (RusVelo) +0:06

4. Pavel Kochetkov (Itera-Katusha) RusVelo) +0:40

5. Ivan Rovny (Ceramica Flaminia-Fondriest)

6. Aleksandr Porsev (Katusha) +1:14

7. Eduard Vorganov (Katusha)

8. Aleksandr Kolobnev (Katusha) +1:56

9. Aleksandr Rybakov (RusVelo)

10. Igor Frolov (Itera-Katusha) +3:37