The recent “Baku-Khankendi” multi-stage cycling race became a landmark event not only for promoting Azerbaijan’s tourism potential, but also for the future development of cycling in the country.
That is the view of Azerbaijan national team head coach and sporting director Vladimir Bushansky, who shared his impressions of the Azerbaijani riders’ performances and discussed their long-term prospects in an interview with İDMAN.BİZ.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan’s squad for the race featured Musa Mikayilzade, Nofal Nuriyev, Ali Gurbanov, Shahin Eyvazov, Maksim Trendelev and Tural Israfilov. Tural Israfilov withdrew during stage two, while Maksim Trendelev left the race on stage four.
- How would you assess the performance of our riders at the “Baku-Khankendi” race?
- Overall, quite positively. They coped with the tasks set for them. Unfortunately, not everyone managed to finish because two of the riders were still relatively young and their main job was to support team leader Musa. In the end, the national team completed all five stages, but everyone understood it would be wrong to expect much more from them at this stage because we have a very young squad.
Also, this was a race of the highest level, with Pro and continental teams competing and extremely high speeds throughout. The riders tried their best to cope with the demands, so overall I believe they performed well.
- And what did you make of the performance of team leader Musa Mikayilzade?
- At the moment, he is not yet ready for more than that. I have only been in charge of the Azerbaijan team for six months, which is a very short period to bring a squad to a completely different level. But it must be said that Musa improved with every race. As part of our preparation, we competed in Turkey and Uzbekistan, where he earned his first UCI ranking points.
For example, in the category 2.2 race in Uzbekistan, Musa finished fifth and, in my opinion, that was the best result of his career so far.
As for “Baku-Khankendi”, he gave everything, but it is still too early to speak about major results at races of this level. I think that by next year the riders will become stronger physically and adapt fully to the new training programme, which differs significantly from what they had before. They are now beginning to understand what professional sport really means, where you have to work from morning until evening.
- Which stage was the most difficult for the Azerbaijani riders?
- Without doubt, the second stage, where everything was decided. There was strong wind and difficult terrain. It was a serious test not only for our riders but for the entire peloton. And then there was the fifth, the so-called queen stage. The final 25 kilometres featured extremely steep climbs. Even Yevgeniy Fedorov from XDS Astana Team, who was leading at the time, crashed there. Overall, every stage was interesting and challenging in its own way.
- Was this your first time in Karabakh? What impressions did you have?
- Honestly, I was shocked in the best possible way, especially by the roads. I had heard a lot about how the region is developing and being rebuilt, but seeing it with my own eyes was something else. The roads are fantastic, and the towns and villages are equally impressive. I can imagine what it looked like before and now I see how quickly everything is changing for the better.
I think this is only the beginning, and in the next three to five years the development of the region will become even more large-scale. And of course, the nature in Karabakh is beautiful and the region has enormous tourism potential.
- How important can the “Baku-Khankendi” race be for the development of cycling across Azerbaijan?
- I am convinced it will become a major boost for cycling in the country, especially because the race was organised at such a high level. Young people see that this sport is receiving serious attention and they will naturally be drawn to it.
That is why I think that by next year the squad will become stronger, while younger riders from the development teams will push harder to break into the senior national team. In that sense, “Baku-Khankendi” can truly be described as a breakthrough moment for Azerbaijani cycling.
- Incidentally, your former team “Astana” also took part in the race. Did you follow their results closely?
- Yes, that team is very close to me because two of the riders there were directly coached by me before I moved to Azerbaijan. I worked with one of them for about ten years and with the other slightly less. So it is very pleasing for me to see my former riders competing at Pro level.
- Some of your former riders also competed at the Olympic Games. Can Azerbaijani cyclists realistically aim for Los Angeles 2028?
- I will personally do everything possible to make that happen. As I already mentioned, Musa has started earning ranking points. If, with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation, which is providing tremendous help, we manage to implement all our plans, then yes, we definitely have a chance.
- Will you consider naturalised riders?
- We want to develop our own cyclists. Naturalisation is the easier route, but the best long-term effect comes from producing your own athletes. Of course, if there are plans to create a continental cycling team, then foreign riders will probably be involved.
For example, these could be specialists for mountain stages or experienced sprinters. But that would only be targeted reinforcement - the core of the team would still be built around local riders.
- Are there plans to create an Azerbaijani continental cycling team again?
- Discussions are ongoing. But we have to understand that this is a major long-term project, one that should exist for at least a full Olympic cycle. Coaches need stability to build preparation properly, and the riders themselves must feel motivated.
As far as I know, negotiations are continuing, everyone wants this project to happen, and all the issues currently facing the federation leadership are solvable. I believe everything should work out successfully.
- What are the next plans for Azerbaijani cyclists?
- First we have the Azerbaijan Cup. After that, youth and under-23 teams are planning to compete in international track tournaments in Slovakia and the Czech Republic at the beginning of June. There is also the junior European Track Championships in Germany.
Of course, we are not expecting major results yet, but these competitions are important in helping us understand the level of our riders. But if one of them reaches the podium, nobody will complain about that (laughs).
- Kazakhstan has considerable experience in developing cycling. Apart from your own work with the national team, what kind of assistance can Kazakhstan offer Azerbaijani cycling?
- First of all, Azerbaijani cyclists regularly receive invitations to compete in Kazakhstan’s domestic events. In general, there is already mutual cooperation between the two countries in cycling development and that cooperation will continue to grow stronger.
This includes participation in competitions and potentially joint training camps. I am convinced that any cooperation between our countries in this area will be productive.
