After spending five seasons at Italian team Liquigas, Czech rider Roman Kreuziger has made the leap across to Astana. The Grand Tour winner heavy roster in that acid-green team meant that the 24-year-old was always going to take a back seat to Italians Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali; in the turquoise and yellow of Astana though, Kreuziger will be an undisputed captain.
“I discovered a new atmosphere and from the beginning I felt confident,” he said. “Now I feel even more confident in Astana than in my previous team after 6 years, which is very positive!
“In addition to the ambience, I discovered new methods,” he explained, “Astana is working with Specialized and with them I've already worked for the time trial and my position on the road, we'll see if the tests we have done will be validated during the race. All this represents quite a change for me, and it’s only positive!
In December last year, Kreuziger travelled to the city of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, where he was present at a number of civic functions and a criterium race. This visit, along with a number of other things, set the Czech’s new team apart for him.
“It is not just the trip to Kazakhstan,” he explained, “from the beginning with my meeting with Vino and Martinelli in Monaco, then with the first training in Montecatini, I realized that this team was like no other. Astana is not a regular sponsor, it is a whole population and when we are on the road we represent a state, so it is a unique team.”
After serving the interests of Basso, Nibali and Franco Pelizzotti for so many years, Kreuziger is now ready to take on the mantle of leadership himself. With his new team he feels ready for this.
“I found a confidence in this team,” he said, “in my companions and I feel everyone motivated, if we all work together to 100%, I am sure we can achieve our goals. Personally, after 6 years working for a leader, I feel ready to take more responsibility alone.
“Whenever you ride in a Pro Tour team, you know you will make many sacrifices,” he explained. “For me, a team is like a family, everyone is considered in equal level and we can all give a hand to the others. The leader brings the victory and the teammates work in the service of the leader. The difference maybe, is that the leader should give more time to the media, but when you're a professional athlete it's part of the game and everyone likes to be in the centre of attention.
Having worked with so many in the past few years, Kreuziger knows the qualities it takes to be a team leader; qualities that he recognises in his talismanic Kazakh captain.
“I think it's something that comes naturally,” he said. “For example Vino is a great captain and he has earned this position with his racing experience that pushes the respect and confidence of other riders.”
For the 24-year-old, those qualities are things that he hopes to continue to develop in the near future. “I can get better with more experience. It's always important to have areas for improvement and lessons to learn, it increases the thirst for victory!”