Vasil Kiryienka

Vasili Vasilyevich Kiryienka (; Łacinka: Vasil Vasilevič Kiryjenka; born 28 June 1981) is a Belarusian former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2006 and 2020 for the OTC Doors, , , and squads. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team .

Career Early years Born in Rechytsa, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Kiryienka won his first national time trial championship in 2002. His early career focused mainly on the track, where he won the Points Race at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Later that season Kiryienka won Stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, a mountainous affair leading to Presolana, after spending the day on the attack and registering more than 6 hours and a half in the saddle. He attacked his six breakaway companions at the foot of the Monte Para climb and soloed to the finish for the win, by a margin of over four minutes.

Caisse d'Epargne (2009–2012)

Kiryienka moved to the Spanish squad for the 2009 season.

In 2010 he finished second in the tenth stage of the Tour de France after he was outsprinted at the line in Gap by Sérgio Paulinho after the pair's decisive attack with remaining.

On 23 May 2011, during the Giro d'Italia, Kiryienka's teammate Xabier Tondo was killed in a freak accident at home while preparing to train with teammates. He was reportedly crushed between his car and a garage door. Five days later, Kiryienka rode to victory in a solo effort on Stage 20, a mountain top finish at Sestriere, and he dedicated the stage victory to Tondó, pointing skyward as he crossed the finish line. The team had met to consider withdrawing from the race after Tondó's death, but instead the riders unanimously voted to ride on. Kiryienka commented that the squad at the Giro hoped to get a further stage win (as Francisco Ventoso's win had come before Tondó's death) to honor him, while other members of the team grieved with Tondó's family.

In September 2012, Kiryienka finished third in the individual time trial at the road world championships.

Team Sky (2013–2020)

Kiryienka left at the end of the 2012 season, and joined on an initial three-year contract from the 2013 season onwards.

In May 2015, Kiryienka won the individual time trial of the Giro d'Italia, which was long and relatively rolling. In June 2015, he won the individual time trial at the inaugural European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. On 23 September 2015, Kiryienka won the individual time trial at the CI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, United States.

Kiryienka had the honor to carry the flag of his native Belarus at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he competed in the men's individual time trial event; he finished in 17th place. In October, he competed in the same event at the World Championships in Doha, where he won the silver medal – giving him at least one medal of each colour for his career.

In January 2020, Kiryienka retired from the sport due to recurring "cardiac issues".

Major results Road

1999 3rd Time trial, National Championships 2000 2nd Time trial, National Championships 2001 2nd Time trial, National Championships 2002

2004 National Championships 2nd Time trial 3rd Road race 6th Overall Tour of Turkey 2005

1st Coppa della Pace 1st Giro del Casentino 1st Coppa Comune Castelfranco di Sopra 1st Coppa Mobilio Ponsacco – Cronometro 1st Stage 3 Giro della Toscana Under-23 2006

2nd Overall Scandinavian Week 1st Stage 3 2nd Scandinavian Open 3rd Riga Grand Prix 4th Tallinn–Tartu GP 4th Szlakiem Walk Majora Hubala 5th Overall Five Rings of Moscow 6th Time trial, UCI World Championships 8th Overall Course de la Solidarité Olympique 1st Stage 6 2007 1st Stage 3 Ster Elektrotoer 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Burgos 2nd Overall Étoile de Bessèges 2nd Eindhoven Team Time Trial 3rd Time trial, National Championships 7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 8th Overall Tour of Austria 8th Tour du Haut Var 9th Time trial, UCI World Championships 9th Grand Prix de Fourmies 2008 1st Stage 19 Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda 2nd Time trial, National Championships 2nd Overall Ster Elektrotoer 2nd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore 7th Overall Vuelta a Murcia 2011

1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia 2nd Overall Critérium International

9th Overall Vuelta a Murcia 10th Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Stage 2 2012

6th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné 2013 1st Stage 18 Vuelta a España UCI World Championships

4th Time trial 2014 1st Stage 1b (TTT) Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali 3rd Overall Bayern Rundfahrt 4th Time trial, UCI World Championships

2015

1st Chrono des Nations 1st Stage 14 (ITT) Giro d'Italia 2016 1st Chrono des Nations

2017 UCI World Championships

5th Time trial 6th GP Miguel Induráin 2018

9th Time trial, UCI World Championships 2019

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish

Track

2003 UCI World Cup Classics, Aguascalientes 1st Individual pursuit 3rd Team pursuit UEC European Under-23 Championships

2004 3rd Individual pursuit, UCI World Cup Classics, Aguascalientes 2005 1st Points race, UCI World Cup Classics, Manchester 2006 UCI World Cup Classics 1st Scratch, Sydney 2nd Points race, Moscow 3rd Points race, Sydney

2008