Alexander Kolobnev’s return to racing this February in the Vuelta a Murcia with the Gazprom-RusVelo squad saw the 34-year-old, who was teetering towards retirement, open up a new and somewhat unexpected chapter in his career – but one in which he is determined to make an impact.
The Russian had been all but written off as retiring after an injury last spring in the Vuelta al País Vasco saw him out of action for a lengthy period, finally stretching into the entire season. But that’s actually not the case.
Although no longer with Katusha, his squad since 2010, the former Russian national champion, Paris-Nice stage winner and World Championships silver medallist in 2007 has now moved on to a team captain’s role in another Russian squad, ProContinental outfit Gazprom-RusVelo. But apart from showing the younger riders the ropes, Kolobnev, who turned pro in 2002 with Mario Cipollini’s Acqua e Sapone-Cantina Tollo team, will also be chasing wins in his own right.
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Looking back on the injury sustained at the Vuelta al País Vasco last April, caused by a big crash on the second to last stage, he tells Cyclingnews that it was one of a string of factors that led him to take time away from the sport.
“I fractured one of my ribs and one of my feet. I don’t know exactly how I got through that last stage – a time trial – at all. I came second last. There was really bad bruising, too, in front of one of my tibia, and it didn’t stop swelling up for another six weeks. We thought it could be really serious, but finally it didn’t prove so bad.
“It was not the first crash and injury of last year, either, and as a combination of them all, I had to stop. On top of that my third child, a girl, was due to be born soon afterwards, so it was time to stop racing for a while.”
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