Ilnur Zakarin

Ilnur Zakarin

Zakarin at the 2015 Tour de Romandie
Personal information
Full name	Ilnur Azatovich Zakarin
Born	(1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 (age 35) Naberezhnye Chelny, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight	67 kg (148 lb; 10 st 8 lb)[1]
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climber
Professional teams
2012	Itera–Katusha
2013–2014	RusVelo
2015–2019	Team Katusha[2]
2020	CCC Team[3]
2021–2022	Gazprom–RusVelo[4][5]
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2016) Giro d'Italia 2 individual stages (2015, 2019) Stage races Tour de Romandie (2015) One-day races and Classics National Time Trial Championships (2013, 2017)

Ilnur Azatovich Zakarin (Russian: Ильнур Азатович Закарин; born 15 September 1989) is a Russian former racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2012 to 2022.

Career

Early career and doping ban

In 2007, as a 17-year-old, he won the juniors time trial at the European Road Championships.^[6]

In July 2009, the Russian cycling federation announced that Zakarin had been banned for two years after he had tested positive for the anabolic steroid metandienone.^[7]

He came back from his ban in 2011 and in 2012 he got a contract with continental team Itera–Katusha. In the fall of 2012 he rode as a stagiaire with Team Katusha, but he was not picked up by the team and instead he got a contract with professional continental team RusVelo, whom he rode for in 2013 and 2014.^{[citation needed]}

Team Katusha (2015–19)

In September 2014 Team Katusha announced that they had signed Zakarin on an initial two-year deal from 2015.^[8]

2015 season

In April, he finished ninth overall at the Tour of the Basque Country. At the beginning of May, Zakarin took a prestigious victory; the general classification of the Tour de Romandie. He realized this feat thanks to a good performance in the mountains, finishing second in stage 4,^[9] and a very good time trial ride on the fifth and final stage, where he finished second even though he had to change his bike midway through the course due to some mechanical issues.^[10] Zakarin made his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d'Italia, where he won Stage 11 after attacking from a breakaway in heavy rain at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari racing circuit in Imola.^[11]

2016 season

In 2016, Zakarin won Stage 6 of Paris–Nice atop La Madone d'Utelle, ahead of Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and Alberto Contador (Tinkoff).^[12] He finished the race in fourth overall.^[13] Zakarin led Katusha at the Giro d'Italia. On Stage 19, whilst placed fifth overall, he crashed heavily on the descent of the Colle dell'Agnello, suffering fractures to his left collarbone and shoulder, ending his race.^[14] Zakarin recovered from his injuries and was named in the start list for the Tour de France.^[15] Zakarin won Stage 17 of the race after bridging up to Rafał Majka (Tinkoff) and Jarlinson Pantano (IAM Cycling) at the base of the day's final climb to Finhaut–Emosson, and attacking with six kilometres remaining to solo to stage victory.^[16]

2017 season

Zakarin at the 2017 Giro d'Italia

He started the season at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana stage race, and continued by riding the Abu Dhabi Tour in which he finished 2nd.^[17] He finished 5th at the Giro d'Italia after finishing 2nd on three individual stages. On 10 July 2017, Zakarin renewed his contract with Team Katusha–Alpecin for two years.^[18] Zakarin finished in third place at the Vuelta a España; the last time a Russian stood on the podium was in 2007, when Denis Menchov won that race.^[19] Zakarin became Russian champion in the individual time trial during the season,^[20] and finished his season by representing Russia at the World Championships.^{[citation needed]}

He won the 2017 award for "Athlete of the year" in Tatarstan, and received the prize at the ceremony of athletes of the year of Tatarstan on 18 December at the Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan.^[21]

2018 season

Zakarin at the 2018 Tour de France

He began the 2018 season at the Abu Dhabi Tour.^[22] He did not have any top 10 performances until the Critérium du Dauphiné where he finished 10th. He rode the Tour de France where he suffered a crash in the first week and survived the cobblestones of stage 9 where many general classification riders had a bad day; he was outside the top 10 going into the final week. The last two high mountain stages to Saint-Lary-Soulan and Laruns were the highlight for Zakarin where he finished in 10th place on both, then placed 7th on the final individual time trial; he finished the race in ninth overall. Later in the year at the Vuelta a España he finished 20th.^{[citation needed]}

CCC Team

In August 2019, it was announced that Zakarin was to join the CCC Team on a two-year contract.^[23]

Gazprom–RusVelo

After one season with CCC Team, Zakarin signed a two-year contract with Gazprom–RusVelo in October 2020.^[5]

Personal life

Zakarin is a native of Naberezhnye Chelny in the Tatarstan region of Russia, and lives in Cyprus.^[24] He is married to Viktoria, a nutritionist.^[25] The couple's first child, a daughter, Kristina, was born in 2016.^[26] His brother Aydar Zakarin is also a racing cyclist.^[25] He is a Muslim, goes to mosque during the year, and listens to Tatari music to remind him of home. He is also a book lover.^[27]

Major results

2006

8th Time trial, UCI Juniors World Championships

2007

1st Time trial, UEC European Junior Road Championships

2011

10th Overall Giro della Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia

2012

1st Overall Grand Prix of Adygeya

1st Points classification

1st Stages 2 & 4

1st Grand Prix of Donetsk

4th Overall Tour Alsace

1st Stage 5 (ITT)

8th Duo Normand (with Alexander Rybakov)

9th Overall Girobio

1st Points classification

1st Stage 5

10th Overall Grand Prix of Sochi

2013

1st Time trial, National Road Championships

3rd Overall Grand Prix of Adygeya

1st Stage 1 (ITT)

5th Duo Normand (with Alexander Rybakov)

2014

1st Overall Tour d'Azerbaïdjan

1st Overall Grand Prix of Sochi

1st Overall Grand Prix of Adygeya

1st Stage 1 (ITT)

2nd Overall Tour of Slovenia

3rd Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli

2015

1st Overall Tour de Romandie

1st Stage 11 Giro d'Italia

3rd Overall Arctic Race of Norway

4th Overall Tour de Pologne

9th Overall Tour of the Basque Country

10th Overall Tour de San Luis

2016

1st Stage 17 Tour de France

3rd Vuelta a Murcia

4th Overall Paris–Nice

1st Stage 6

4th Overall Tour de Romandie

5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

7th Overall Volta a Catalunya

7th Overall Volta ao Algarve

2017

1st Time trial, National Road Championships

2nd Overall Abu Dhabi Tour

3rd Overall Vuelta a España

5th Overall Giro d'Italia

6th Overall Paris–Nice

2018

7th GP Miguel Induráin

9th Overall Tour de France

10th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné

2019

8th Overall Tour de Romandie

10th Overall Giro d'Italia

1st Stage 13

10th Overall Paris–Nice

2020

7th Overall UAE Tour

2021

2nd Road race, National Road Championships

8th Overall Vuelta Asturias

9th Overall Settimana Ciclistica Italiana

General classification results timeline

Zakarin made his Tour de France début in 2016, finishing 25th overall.

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Giro d'Italia	44	DNF	5	—	10	22	—
Tour de France	—	25	—	9	51	DNF	—
Vuelta a España	—	—	3	20	—	—	—
Major stage race general classification results
Race	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Paris–Nice	—	4	6	16	10	—	—
Tirreno–Adriatico	—	—	—	—	—	—	31
Volta a Catalunya	—	7	DNF	—	17	NH	DNF
Tour of the Basque Country	9	—	—	21	—		—
Tour de Romandie	1	4	15	—	8		—
Critérium du Dauphiné	—	—	—	10	—	—	—
Tour de Suisse	—	—	—	—	—	NH	—

Monuments results

Monument	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Milan–San Remo	Has not contested during his career
Tour of Flanders
Paris–Roubaix
Liège–Bastogne–Liège	—	5	—	45	22	—	53
Giro di Lombardia	DNF	—	—	DNF	DNF	—	—

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish
NH	Not held

See also

• List of doping cases in cycling

References

1. "Ilnur Zakarin - Team KATUSHA ALPECIN". Retrieved 8 July 2019.
2. "Katusha-Alpecin announce reduced 24-rider roster for 2019". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
3. "Valter completes CCC Team's 2020 roster". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
4. "Gazprom-RusVelo". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
5. "Ilnur Zakarin s'engage avec Gazprom" [Ilnur Zakarin joins forces with Gazprom]. L'Équipe (in French). Éditions Philippe Amaury. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
6. "Results Road Men Junior 2007". European Cycling Union. 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013.
7. Susan Westemeyer (28 January 2009). "Russia suspends three young riders". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
8. "Team Katusha signs with Ilnur Zakarin and Sergey Lagutin" (Press release). Team Katusha. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
9. Sadhbh O'Shea (2 May 2015). "Pinot takes victory on Tour de Romandie stage 5". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
10. Sadhbh O'Shea (3 May 2015). "Zakarin wins Tour de Romandie". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
11. "Ilnur Zakarin takes solo win in rainy Imola on stage 11 of Giro d'Italia - Cycling Weekly". 20 May 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
12. "Zakarin soars to Paris-Nice Queen Stage win - Cyclingnews.com". 12 March 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
13. "Thomas survives thrilling finale to win Paris-Nice - VeloNews.com". 13 March 2016. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
14. "Zakarin crashes out of Giro d'Italia with fractured collarbone and shoulder blade - Cyclingnews.com". 27 May 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
15. "2016 > 103rd Tour de France > Startlist". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
16. "Tour de France: Chris Froome extends lead with four stages remaining". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
17. "Abu Dhabi Tour 2017". www.procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
18. "Ilnur Zakarin signs 2-year deal with Team KATUSHA ALPECIN - Teamkatushaalpecin.com/news/ilnur-zakarin-signs-2-year-deal-team-katusha-alpecin". Retrieved 10 July 2017.
19. Фрум выиграл «Вуэльту Испании», Закарин — на подиуме гонки Гранд-тура
20. "National Championships Russia - ITT 2017". www.procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
21. "To slice the cake fairly – but swimmers weren't given enough". m.realnoevremya.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
22. "Abu Dhabi Tour 2018 | Startlist | Startlist". www.procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
23. "Ilnur Zakarin signs two-year contract at CCC Team". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
24. "Zakarin sees his way clear to first Tour de France stage win - Cyclingnews.com". 20 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
25. Brunel, Philippe (16 May 2016). "Le fabuleux régime d'Ilnur Zakarin" [The fabulous diet of Ilnur Zakarin]. L'Equipe (in French). Retrieved 10 April 2018.
26. Petrequin, Samuel (20 July 2016). "Zakarin won't discuss Russian doping after Tour win". USAToday.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
27. "The Russian Riddle: Ilnur Zakarin". Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.

External links

• İlnur Zäkärin at UCI
• İlnur Zäkärin at Cycling Archives (archived)
• İlnur Zäkärin at ProCyclingStats
• İlnur Zäkärin at Cycling Quotient
• İlnur Zäkärin at CycleBase