After a positive season with four wins and second place behind Vincenzo Nibali at Tre Valli Varesine, Sergey Firsanov will be the leader of Gazprom-RUSVELO in 2016 and he has set his sights on a very important event, the Rio Olympic Games.
 

"I gave seen the course,” he Russian told Spaziociclismo after a recon of the route in December with his compatriots. “I must say that the course is very difficult. There is everything from strong winds to a section of very rough cobblestones, short climbs, long, very technical descents. There's something for every taste but in the end everything will be decided in the last four laps, most likely on the final climb.” 

The course suits the characteristics of Firsanov who feels ready to take on a role as captain of the team throughout the season, noting that "in Europe the mentality and way of riding are different.” The teams focus a lot more on their captain because the teammates try to give him the best possible conditions to get a result and therefore feel less pressure "while in Russia" six riders will all carry the burden of responsibility because they depend on the success of the whole team.

But in 2016 this attitude is changing as Firsanov felt “a calmer and more peaceful atmosphere during the first training camp in Sochi and there will be less pressure on the psychological level. That will make it easier to play the role of captain than in the last few years.”