Ride Of My Life: Vasil Kiryienka

Our world time trial champion Vasil Kiryienka recounts his first Grand Tour stage win from the 2008 Giro d'Italia.

We're now onto the second instalment of our Ride Of My Life series, and this time we've tracked down Vasil Kiryienka to hear about his most memorable day on a bike.

Tuesday 20 May 2008: Giro d'Italia - Stage 19: Legnano to Presolana - 238km

They say you never forget your first time, and that's certainly true here. Kiry has claimed some unbelievable victories this season - national, European and World time trial jerseys now adorn his walls - but our Belarusian star has taken us right back to his first Grand Tour win:

Can you set the scene for us?

I was a second year pro and this was my first Grand Tour. I'd been able to get myself in a few breakaways before this stage. I'd finished second on stages seven and 14, so by that point I was really motivated to win one.

I didn't shout about my intentions before the start of the stage, or discuss it in detail with my team-mates, but I was very alert to what was happening during the early part of the race.

Tell us more!

It was a horrible day with really bad weather. The stage was already the longest of that year's Tour, but then they went and made it 20km longer than had originally been scheduled.

The opening 154km were mostly flat and the speed averaged 50km/h during that first hour. I had to wait and wait until a breakaway got a gap, and then bridged over to it with Steve Cummings. Steve and I had both ridden a lot of track up to that point, and that helped us judge the effort it took to be the final two riders to make the move.

It was definitely worth it as once we'd got away, our advantage grew to 21 minutes. The last 84km featured two second-category climbs before the first-category ascent up Monte Pora.

It was on the penultimate climb where I made my move and dropped the rest of the break. By then the gap was coming down fast, but because I was alone, I gave it everything I had. When I crossed the line I was over four minutes ahead, and all the other escapees were caught before the finish.

How did it feel to wrap up your first Grand Tour stage win?

It was, and still is, a very important win for me made even more special by the fact I'd come so close on the two occasions before it. I was very emotional when I crossed the finish line.

What are your memories from the immediate aftermath?

I remember that there was only the soigneur and DS to celebrate with immediately after the stage - my team-mates were still on the road and over 25 minutes had passed before the next one crossed the line.

We didn't even celebrate much that evening back at the hotel because the following day's stage was an even tougher one - 224km over Gavia and Mortirolo.

Did the victory change your life in any way?

Yes it did. It helped me earn a new contract - that and the fact I'd out-climbed Joaquim Rodriguez on the stage before it.

See what David Lopez picked as his memorable day HERE.