Vasil Kiryienka Explained
Vasili Vasilyevich Kiryienka (Belarusian: Васіль Васілевіч Кірыенка; Łacinka: Vasil Vasilevič Kiryjenka; born 28 June 1981) is a Belarusian former racing cyclist,[4] who rode professionally between 2006 and 2020 for the OTC Doors,,, and squads. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team .[5]
Career
Early years
Born in Rechytsa, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Kiryienka won his first national time trial championship in 2002. His early career focused mainly on the track, where he won the Points Race at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Later that season Kiryienka won Stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, a mountainous affair leading to Presolana, after spending the day on the attack and registering more than 6 hours and a half in the saddle. He attacked his six breakaway companions at the foot of the Monte Para climb and soloed to the finish for the win, by a margin of over four minutes.[6]
Caisse d'Epargne (2009–2012)
Kiryienka moved to the Spanish squad for the 2009 season.
In 2010 he finished second in the tenth stage of the Tour de France after he was outsprinted at the line in Gap by Sérgio Paulinho after the pair's decisive attack with 14km (09miles) remaining.[7]
On 23 May 2011, during the Giro d'Italia, Kiryienka's teammate Xabier Tondo was killed in a freak accident at home while preparing to train with teammates. He was reportedly crushed between his car and a garage door.[8] Five days later, Kiryienka rode to victory in a solo effort on Stage 20, a mountain top finish at Sestriere, and he dedicated the stage victory to Tondó, pointing skyward as he crossed the finish line.[9] The team had met to consider withdrawing from the race after Tondó's death, but instead the riders unanimously voted to ride on.[10] Kiryienka commented that the squad at the Giro hoped to get a further stage win (as Francisco Ventoso's win had come before Tondó's death) to honor him, while other members of the team grieved with Tondó's family.[11]
In September 2012, Kiryienka finished third in the individual time trial at the road world championships.[12]
Team Sky (2013–2020)
Kiryienka left at the end of the 2012 season, and joined on an initial three-year contract from the 2013 season onwards.[13]
In May 2015, Kiryienka won the individual time trial of the Giro d'Italia, which was 59.5km (37miles) long and relatively rolling.[14] In June 2015, he won the individual time trial at the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.[15] On 23 September 2015, Kiryienka won the individual time trial at the CI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, United States.[16]
Kiryienka had the honor to carry the flag of his native Belarus at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he competed in the men's individual time trial event; he finished in 17th place. In October, he competed in the same event at the World Championships in Doha, where he won the silver medal – giving him at least one medal of each colour for his career.[17]
In January 2020, Kiryienka retired from the sport due to recurring "cardiac issues".[4]
Major results
Road
- 1999
3rd Time trial, National Championships
- 2000
2nd Time trial, National Championships
- 2001
2nd Time trial, National Championships
- 2002
1st Time trial, National Championships
- 2004
National Championships
2nd Time trial
3rd Road race
6th Overall Tour of Turkey
- 2005
1st Time trial, National Championships
1st Coppa della Pace
1st Giro del Casentino
1st Coppa Comune Castelfranco di Sopra
1st Coppa Mobilio Ponsacco – Cronometro
1st Stage 3 Giro della Toscana Under-23
- 2006
1st Time trial, National Championships
2nd Overall Scandinavian Week
1st Stage 3
2nd Scandinavian Open
3rd Riga Grand Prix
4th Tallinn–Tartu GP
4th Szlakiem Walk Majora Hubala
5th Overall Five Rings of Moscow
6th Time trial, UCI World Championships
8th Overall Course de la Solidarité Olympique
1st Stage 6
- 2007
1st Stage 3 Ster Elektrotoer
1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Burgos
2nd Overall Étoile de Bessèges
2nd Eindhoven Team Time Trial
3rd Time trial, National Championships
7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
8th Overall Tour of Austria
8th Tour du Haut Var
9th Time trial, UCI World Championships
9th Grand Prix de Fourmies
- 2008
1st Stage 19 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 1 (TTT) Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda
2nd Time trial, National Championships
2nd Overall Ster Elektrotoer
2nd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
7th Overall Vuelta a Murcia
- 2011
1st Overall Route du Sud
1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia
2nd Overall Critérium International
1st Points classification
9th Overall Vuelta a Murcia
10th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
1st Stage 2
- 2012
3rd Time trial, UCI World Championships
6th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
- 2013
1st Stage 18 Vuelta a España
UCI World Championships
3rd Team time trial
4th Time trial
- 2014
1st Stage 1b (TTT) Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
3rd Overall Bayern Rundfahrt
4th Time trial, UCI World Championships
Combativity award Stage 11 Vuelta a España
- 2015
1st Time trial, UCI World Championships
1st Time trial, European Games
1st Time trial, National Championships
1st Chrono des Nations
1st Stage 14 (ITT) Giro d'Italia
- 2016
1st Chrono des Nations
2nd Time trial, UCI World Championships
- 2017
UCI World Championships
3rd Team time trial
5th Time trial
6th GP Miguel Induráin
- 2018
1st Time trial, National Championships
9th Time trial, UCI World Championships
- 2019
1st Time trial, European GamesGrand Tour general classification results timeline
Legend| — | Did not compete |
|---|
| DNF | Did not finish | |
|---|
Track
- 2003
UCI World Cup Classics, Aguascalientes
1st Individual pursuit
3rd Team pursuit
UEC European Under-23 Championships
3rd Individual pursuit
3rd Team pursuit
- 2004
3rd Individual pursuit, UCI World Cup Classics, Aguascalientes
- 2005
1st Points race, UCI World Cup Classics, Manchester
- 2006
UCI World Cup Classics
1st Scratch, Sydney
2nd Points race, Moscow
3rd Points race, Sydney
3rd Points race, UCI World Championships
- 2008
1st Points race, UCI World ChampionshipsExternal links
Notes and References
- Web site: Mills. Benjamin. Team Sky Photo Gallery. . BSkyB. 11 July 2012.
- Web site: Team Sky. Cyclingnews.com. 5 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105011120/http://www.cyclingnews.com/teams/2019/team-sky/. 5 January 2019.
- Web site: Team Ineos. UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 2 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200102035953/https://www.uci.org/road/teams/TeamDetail/13993/1001552/260. 2 January 2020.
- News: Kiryienka retires due to recurring 'cardiac issues'. Pat. Malach. Cyclingnews.com. 30 January 2020. 30 January 2020.
- Web site: BelAZ. UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. 9 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210309192140/https://www.uci.org/road/teams/TeamDetail/15864/2003581/276. 9 March 2021.
- Web site: Contador proves tough under Di Luca's pressure. Gregor Brown. 2008-05-30. Cycling News. 2009-11-28.
- News: Sergio Paulinho snatches Tour de France stage win. 23 September 2015. BBC Sport. 14 July 2010.
- Web site: Xavier Tondo dies in domestic accident. Cyclingnews.com. 23 May 2011. 17 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20140408214532/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/xavier-tondo-dies-in-domestic-accident. 8 April 2014. live.
- Web site: Kiryienka remembers Tondo with win . Eurosport . Yahoo! News Network . Felix Lowe . 28 May 2011 . 17 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120928051002/http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29052011/58/giro-d-italia-kiryienka-remembers-tondo-win.html . 28 September 2012 . live .
- Web site: Movistar to continue in Giro in the wake of Tondo's death. 23 May 2011. Cyclingnews.com. 24 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20140409015438/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/movistar-to-continue-in-giro-in-the-wake-of-tondos-death. 9 April 2014. live.
- Web site: Jean-François Quénet. Kiryienka paid tribute to Xavier Tondo. 28 May 2011. Cyclingnews.com. 31 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20130605070057/http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kiryienka-paid-tribute-to-xavier-tondo . 5 June 2013 . live.
- News: Road World Championships: Tony Martin retains time trial title. BBC Sport. 19 September 2012. 23 September 2015.
- News: Kiryienka to Sky for three years. Cycling News. 18 August 2012. 20 August 2012.
- News: Contador powers back into Giro lead in stage 14 ITT won by Kiryienka. VeloNews. 23 May 2015. 1 June 2015.
- News: Kiryienka, Van Dijk win European Games time trials. 23 September 2015. Cyclingnews.com. 18 June 2015.
- News: Kiryienka wins time-trial gold at World Championships. 23 September 2015. BBC Sport. 23 September 2015.
- News: Vasil Kiryienka calls time on his career. Belarus Olympic Committee. National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus. 30 January 2020. 17 December 2021.
