Cyclist Rikunov: “There were invitations from the Italian and Spanish teams, but I refused”

Russian cyclist Petr Rikunov told that he had turned down offers from European professional teams and decided to continue competing for the Chinese project Chengdu Cycling Team.

Rikunov won the Zhaotong Tour last week.

— Was it the most difficult race of the season?

– No, on the contrary, one of the lungs. This year there have been many different races, much more difficult than this one.

— Are you already established in China? Have you solved the food problem? It’s always difficult for the athletes there.

– Yes, I’ve already gotten used to it. It was definitely difficult at first, but then we found good places with European cuisine and now we mostly eat dishes that are familiar to us. I have also already adapted to the climate, this poses no problem.

— Were there options to join European teams?

— Yes, there were two options to go to Spain and Italy in pro-continental teams (in the current UCI ranking, professional – approximately), but I refused. I will also stay in China for next season. Next year our team will have a calendar with good races, where World Tour teams will also compete. Therefore, there will be more opportunities to show yourself at this level, and perhaps there will be a chance to get into the World Tour team, ”Rikunov told .

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