After several years as a trusted domestique, Aliaksandr Kuchynski was not offered a new contract by Katusha. He now wants to set up a national Belarusian team.

Like many other countries, Belarus will have its own national project. The team will be lead by Aliaksandr Kuchynski who has decided to embark on this new adventure after his contract with Katusha was not renewed.

"The goal is to build a team to make cycling more popular in our country," he told veloclub.net. "Our president invests heavily in cycling, including a new velodrome, but children don't become cyclists because they focus on hockey or football."

Determined to "seize the opportunity to organize a team," the 35 year-old former Liquigas rider will first have a leadership role in the team but later he will be limited to "helping  young people and using my experience" on the road. Although the project is still being finalized, the Belarusian rider already has a very clear idea about the calendar.

"To begin with, we will build a team of a dozen riders, including elite and U23. The team will be riding at the continental level and will be racing in Russia, Italy, Belarus of course and maybe also in Turkey. If w get offers from races in other countries, we will go there too."

The team will be located in both Belarus and Italy and is still looking for sponsors.