Kazakh national champion Alexey Lutsenko emerged victorious in the queen stage of the Italian race Giro d’Abruzzo.

The race began in Pratola Peligna and concluded in Prati di Tivo after a 163-kilometre journey. Lutsenko demonstrated his strength in a challenging two-against-one battle during the final stretch, crossing the finish line first with a two-second lead.

The final climb was particularly grueling, with Adam Yates attempting to drop Lutsenko several times, but Lutsenko held his ground and even launched a few attacks of his own. In the last two kilometers, when Diego Ulissi joined the battle, Lutsenko gave his all to secure the win. He described it as a significant result, especially given the challenging start to his season.

With this victory in the penultimate queen stage, Lutsenko now holds the top spot in the general classification, leading by 14 seconds.