Almost two months after the UCI's ban on Russian and Belarusian teams, Gazprom-Rusvelo team members have in recent days appealed to the sport's governing body to find ways to help them return to racing.

Meanwhile, Russian riders on foreign teams have been able to race all along due to the UCI policy disruption that has prevented riders from Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic from racing.

Bora-Hansgrohe leader Aleksandr Vlasov is one of the Russians who has been able to continue racing, and the 25-year-old is off to the best start of his career season with Bora-Hansgrohe. So far, Vlasov has won the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and has been on the podium at Trofeo Pollença, GP Indurain, and Itzulia Basque Country.

After his latest podium, third place at La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday, Vlasov was asked about the plight of fellow Russian racers and contrasted his situation with the likes of Ilnur Zakarin, the leader of Vlasov's former team, Gazprom Rusvelo.

"Of course, I am happy to be able to compete like this now," Vlasov said at the post-race press conference. At the post-race press conference, Vlasov said, "I'm just a cyclist, I want to race, I want to train. That's what I do and I want to keep doing it."

Vlasov was one of the most consistent riders in the peloton during the first three months of 2022, recording 16 top-10 finishes and 10 podiums in 30 days of racing.

In his final season with Astana, the highlight of 2021 was a second place in Paris-Nice and a fourth in the Giro d'Italia, but he seems to have taken a new step forward with his new team.

"I don't know, but I trained hard anyway," he said. There is a lot of motivation in this team. It's a very good team and I like it."

"Everyone in the team and the atmosphere is great, friendly. So I'm just happy to be here and to be racing for Bora-Hansgrohe."

On Wednesday, he made his debut in La Flèche Wallonne, testing his mettle for the first time in the Mule de Huy. He was able to keep up with the moves of eventual winner Dylan Tuns (Bahrain Victorious) and second-place finisher Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), finishing behind the top duo who had previously been on the podium.

"First of all, I tried to start the last climb in the best position possible," Vlasov said. I'm not an explosive rider, so I tried to stay in a regular rhythm."

"I just tried to keep up. I know he has a more explosive style."

Vlasov said, "I was just trying to keep up with him.

While the explosive finish on the steep slopes of the Mur de Huy may not be entirely suited to Vlasov's abilities when faced with more explosive punchers, Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege will offer a different challenge.

Like Fleche, Vlasov will be making his debut in this race. For Vlasov, who does not excel in sprint finishes, the flat finish in the city will present another obstacle. However, he said he is in good shape and that his result in Flèche will give him confidence for the weekend.

"Having made the podium here, I might try again next year," he said. He said, "Right now I'm concentrating on Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Right now I'm concentrating on Liège-Bastogne-Liège. I'm in good shape and I'm going to try to use my legs to get the best result possible. The team does a good job and today was no different. So I think we can do a great job on Sunday."