Tashkent Metropolis Ladies have responded to criticism after a number of of their riders acquired dropped and deserted in the course of the opening stage of the Tour de France Femmes, stating that their presence right here alone is a “victory” for biking.
Whereas the Uzbek staff made historical past as the primary central Asian staff to begin a Tour de France, males’s or girls’s, their debut was overshadowed by a dismal show within the Netherlands warmth, with greater than half their staff not with the ability to stay with the WorldTour peloton’s tempo on stage 1 into The Hague and leaving the race.
“First stage, the staff aren’t feeling actually good as a result of we misplaced 4 riders but it surely’s a mono-nation staff and our first time in Tour de France so we’re within the center I’ll say,” Director Sportiff Volodymyr Starchyk instructed Cyclingnews after the stage.
“For a mono-nation with not many ladies’s riders within the nation, to be current within the Tour de France Femmes is one thing huge in my view. To be prepared for giant outcomes, they want time.”
Tashkent acquired a number of criticism on social media each when it was introduced that that they had secured a spot at each girls’s WorldTour race, together with the Tour de France, by ending ranked within the prime 18 for ladies’s groups. In the course of the opening stage within the Netherlands, their riders continued to desert because the kilometres ticked by.
The primary got here contained in the opening 40km of racing, Ekaterina Knebeleva, with 19-year-old Asal Rizaeva and 18-year-old Mohinabonu Elmurodova following swimsuit not lengthy after. Lastly, Madina Kakhorova was the fourth rider not making it by way of.
Starchyk swerved the query when requested whether or not the staff knew the youngsters particularly wouldn’t have the ability to comply with the tempo and whether or not this was one of the best thought, selecting to reply matter of factly that, “It’s not straightforward to complete when you find yourself 19 years previous”.
Solely one in every of their riders managed to complete in the primary group – gifted 22-year-old Yanina Kuskova, who’s the three-time Uzbek nationwide champion. However Starchyk wasn’t phased, merely selecting to give attention to how a lot of successful it was for them to even be on the beginning line.
“Individuals can suppose the whole lot they need. Everyone is ready to consider what they need however we’re right here, it’s one thing huge for the nation,” mentioned Starchyk.
“The primary time in historical past an Uzbek staff with all Uzbek riders so I feel additionally for biking it’s a victory as a result of a rustic fully exterior of races in Europe, an Asian staff coming right here to Tour de France, it’s by no means occurred in historical past.
“So it’s unhappy for outcomes as a result of we lose some riders right now however on the similar time, Tour de France Femmez avec Zwift exhibits folks that biking is open for the entire world.”
It’s the races exterior of Europe that had been contentious for Tashkent, as reported by Cyclingnews in November, the place European groups raised eyebrows on the factors scoring primarily at smaller one-day races, continental championships and nationwide championships.
But it surely maybe exhibits a possible situation with the UCI factors scoring system greater than something with Tashkent particularly, nonetheless, Starchyk did affirm it wasn’t an sickness that left 4 of their seven reeling however “for positive the legs and for positive pace”.
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