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Yaroslav Popovych

Key Stats

Team: Astana
Nationality: Ukrainian
Born: January 4, 1980
Hometown: Drohobych, Ukraine
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 141 pounds
Turned Pro: 2002

Palmares

Career Highlights:

1st, Stage 5, Paris-Nice 2007
3rd overall, Tour de Georgia 2006
1st Best Young Rider Classification, Tour de France 2005
3rd overall, Giro d'Italia 2003
1st, World U23 road championship 2001

2009
3rd, stage 1 TTT, Giro d'Italia
4th, stage 21, Giro d'Italia

2007
1st, Stage 5, Paris-Nice
8th overall, Tour de France

2006
1st, stage 12, Tour de France (25th overall)
1st, Stage 2, Tour de Georgia (3rd overall; 2nd, Sprint Classification)
1st, Stage 2 (ITT), Vuelta a Castilla y León

2005
1st overall, Volta a Catalunya
3rd, Stage 2, Paris-Nice
2nd, Stage 7, Dauphiné Libéré
12th overall, Tour de France (1st, Best Young Rider Classification)

2004
5th overall, Giro d'Italia (3 days in maglia rosa)
1st, Trophee Giacotelli

2003
3rd overall, Giro d'Italia

2002
12th overall, Giro d'Italia

2001
1st, U23 World Road Championshp

Biography

Considered one of the world's most promising cyclists, "Popo" turned pro in 2002 after scoring an impressive 35 wins in 2000 and 2001, including the men's u23 road championship, after a strong second-place finish the previous year. After finishing third in the 2003 Giro, he was often touted as a strong candidate for team leadership at his old Discovery Channel team. Heading Discovery at the 2007 Giro, Popovych crashed out on the 12 stage. He served admirably as a support rider in Discovery's 2007 Tour, finishing eighth overall.