Ilnur Zakarin is hoping to capitalise off his successful, first full season on the WorldTour with better performances at bigger races with Katusha in 2016. The Russian all-rounder made his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia in May, but fast forward a year and the cycling world can expect to see him co-lead the team in Italy alongside Rein Taaramae.
"It is my goal – to be competitive in big races," Zakarin told Cyclingnews via an interview through a Russian translator. "My first year as a WorldTour rider gave me a lot, so next season I expect to be able to fight in some races.
"The Giro d'Italia is one of the biggest aims for me in 2016. I liked this race from this season. It will be a pleasure to go back to Italy. I want to try out what it means to be 'fighting for the general classification' in a Grand Tour. Of course, it means I have to have more tactical-style rather than breakaway-style of racing."
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Zakarin made his debut in a Grand Tour at the Giro d'Italia, where he won stage 11 from Forli to the F1 track in Imola ahead of Carlos Betancur and Franco Pellizotti.
"I was very happy that day," Zakarin said. “You know, in the beginning of the race, after a successful Tour de Romandie, I thought I could fight for the general classification, but it was not the case. The thing is, I wanted to be in top shape for Romandie, so in the Giro my form started to come down. I lost a lot in the first few stages, so together with the sports directors, we decided to concentrate on stage victories.
"I remember that stage was good for a breakaway, so I attacked to be part of it. Of course, I wasn't sure that I could fight for the victory, but at least I wanted to try. Everything worked perfect for me that day. I had great support from Dmitry Konyshev, who followed me in the car. His experience, some good luck and 'my day' together allowed me to win in Imola. It was something special, since I know this place is very famous and important in auto sport.”
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