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Eight days of racing south across France for Fuglsang, Grivko and Iglinskiy
Astana Pro Team will start the first European World Tour event of its 2013 calendar on Sunday at Paris-Nice.
In eight days the riders will travel across a cold and still wintry French countryside to arrive at the Mediterranean seacoast and an expectation of sunshine and warmer temperatures. Along the way there will be constant climbing, a mountain time trial, countless kilometers of wind and the likely possibility that winter will not go away peacefully as the peloton races towards spring.
"Paris Nice is the first serious test of the World Tour, and it is a race where the strongest and best riders line up. It is always harder in real life than on paper. The race can throw up surprises along the way - there can be wind, there can be snow, the mountains can be very hard. It is a real test of teams and leaders," said Astana Pro Team Director Sportif Dmitriy Fofonov.
Astana Pro Team riders
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Jakob Fuglsang - DEN
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Borut Bozic - SLO
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Andrey Zeits - KAZ
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Enrico Gasparotto - ITA
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Maxim Iglinskiy - KAZ
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Kevin Seeldraeyers - BEL
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Egor Silin - RUS
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Andrei Grivko - UKR
Astana Pro Team rider Jakob Fuglsang said his form is very good following a week of racing in Spain, and he feels well-prepared for Paris-Nice.
"I'm confident that I can do my best and get a good result, and the first goal is to get into the Top-10 and see who is there to go higher. But that said it's a really, really difficult race. It's like a mini Tour de France. The weather never makes it easier, and it's really stressful and nervous because there are so many teams and riders there for whom Paris-Nice is a major season goal," Fuglsang said.
"There are fewer time trial kilometers this year, which could work as a disadvantage for me if you add it up. But it's the same for everybody in that regard. In any case, Paris-Nice is still a very competitive race," Fuglsang said.
Astan Pro Team staff
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DS Dmitriy Fofonov
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DS Stefano Zanini
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DR Raquel Ortolano
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ME Javier Lopez
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ME Javier Manero
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ME Gil Rodriguez
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MS Umberto Inselvini
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MS Alejandro Vazquez
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MS Dmytro Borysov
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CHEF Norbert De Ganck
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MS Gunther Bierinckx
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OS Serge Paoletti
"Fuglsang has shown in the past on other teams and at other races that he deserves the role of leader, and we will support him fully. Iglinskiy also has a riding style that can do well at Paris-Nice; the stages are up and down, and a few have a profile that suggests a small group will get away to the finish after a late climb. These will be excellent places for Max to try for a result," Fofonov said.
Paris Nice begins Sunday in Houilles, south of Paris, with a short 2.9km prologue time trial.
"Grivko is a very strong time trialist and comes from a track background. We think Sunday he has a very good chance of a good result, and if we have a chance to start Paris-Nice with the yellow jersey, that's a strong incentive to race well," said Fofonov.
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