Astana Cycling Team

It's Valentin Iglinskiy's birthday today! He gave a little interview to AstanaFans.

- First of all, on behalf of all the fans, Happy 26th Birthday! We wish you good health, strength and well-being!

- Thank you very much!

And also congratulations on your first grand tour. How do you feel?

- Thank you! I feel good of course, riding such a race - it's really prestigious, plus - being in the same team with Vino on a race like that!

What about the speed at the Giro; is it really different from the races you've ridden before?

- It's different, but the stages are more different. I've never ridden such long stages before. It seems fine till kilometer 180-200, then the crisis begins, everyone keeps going, but the ones who aren't as ready simply drop behind, but in general I feel good in this race.

- What is your prediction for Giro 2010 GC?

- Time will tell, but I think it will be between Vino, Evans and Sastre, of course we would love to win and we'll do everything we're told, and the most important, our team is very determined.

What is your racing program after Giro?

- After Giro I'll have almost 2 months of rest, more precisely I'll relax in June, in July I'll have to start training with the team, and I'm going back to racing in August.

- What do you think about the season in general? Will we see you being competitive in races or is this season more of a preparatory one for you?

- Yes, maybe this season will be about adjusting, and then we'll see, it's hard to say anything right now, the season isn't over yet. I think I'll have my shot this season. At least I'd like to...

How did it all start? Obviously Maxim set the example? Who was your first couch?

- Yes, my brother Maxim brought me there, he had already been racing for 3 years and he used to tell me: "You're too small, you can't! When you're 11, they'll sign you up." So I was sitting and waiting and when I turned 11, they brought me to the cycling base, there were about 40 riders. We were told that we were going to have a 4-km cross-country run and that the first three to finish would get the bikes, I got the bike: I came third although others were two and three years older than I was. So I started cycling with Kochetkov, we began with playing football, running, jumping, then we started riding, That's how I started training with Kochetkov.

- The official website says your favorite rider is Erik Zabel. Why him? What exactly was so appealing about him and his racing style?
- Erik Zabel was a good rider, 4-time Milan - San Remo winner. I also like Oscar Freire, 3-time World Champion.

Cycling is my life!

- Your birthday at the Giro? Is it sad?

- Why?

- Well, so far from your family? Or are you used to it?

- No, I've been dreaming about celebrating my birthday at the Giro for ages! I've celebrated my birthday in so many places, always during the races, in different countries, but now it's at the Giro!

a picture from Valentin Iglinskiy's personal archive

- Do you still share a room with Gasparotto? How's your Italian? Parlare Italiano?

- No. I'm sharing a room with Grivko at the Giro. I know a few words already, it's easier to communicate now; if I'm curious about something I ask Andriy, he speaks very good Italian, so he helps me sometimes.

- What is cycling for you? Is it more than just a job?

- It's my life now! I can't imagine myself anywhere else but cycling, but still, it's a job too, we're getting paid for it.

- What would you have become if you hadn't been a professional cyclist?

- I can't even say, when I was in school I played football very well, I used to run fast, I think I would have been some kind of athlete if I hadn't been a cyclist...

- What do you like doing in your spare time? What do you prefer to do to relax?

- Well, just like any other rider, I like lying on a couch, watching TV...But usually it depends, I may go to sauna, for example...

- Does your little son already show interest to cycling? Does he recognize his dad on TV?

- Yes. Now he watches cycling all the time. When he sees someone on a bike he says: "That's my dad!" The other day he said. "When I'm big I'm gonna be training with Dad and ride a bike". Max and Natalya gave him a bike for his birthday, he wouldn't get off that bike for two days, he was training, riding. 😀

a picture from Valentin Iglinskiy's personal archive

-- What was your relationship with Maxim like when you were kids? Any kind of rivalry? Did you ever happen to fight over a girl?

- Not really, it never happened: we exchanged the girls, but we were kids then; no, we didn't fight, we lived in peace; when I wasn't riding yet, he would give me his bike and I would ride it all day long...

- What's your favorite food?
- I like Uigur food, lagman, plov and so on. When in Kazakhstan we always eat out somewhere and order that.

- It's been really nice talking to you. Hope it's not our last conversation?!

- I hope so. Thanks to all the fans of the Astana team for being you, for your support! Cheers from Italy from the Astana team.