Cycling: Team Astana has had three less than successful years. Significant victories were in short supply for what was once one of the strongest teams in the world. But that will change again in 2025.
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Astana 2024: Cavendish outshines everyone
Even though Team Astana had a less than successful 2024 season, the men in cyan probably had the highlight of the year. Mark Cavendish won a stage for Astana at the Tour de France – and in doing so, snatched the sole record. It's actually quite remarkable that this victory would remain their only one at the WorldTour level. Alexey Lutsenko won the Giro d'Abruzzo. Max Kanter won a stage of the Tour of Turkey. And Gleb Syritsa and Ivan Smirnov were victorious at the Tour de Langkawi and the Tour of Hainan, respectively. Of course, such results aren't enough to meet the expectations of a team like Astana. Nevertheless, with 15 wins and 33 additional podium finishes in 2024, the Kazakh team still managed to secure 21st place in the UCI rankings, only one place lower than the previous season.
New sponsor, same quality?
A few years ago, Team Astana was among the best in the world. To make that a reality again, a major overhaul is underway: a new bike, a new sponsor, and twelve new riders. The biggest impact will undoubtedly come from the new Chinese backer. The major investor is carbon fiber manufacturer XDS, which has committed for at least five years. This represents a mega-deal for Alexandre Vinokourov, offering him considerable security after three disappointing years. The newcomers will compete under the new team name XdS (Carbon-Tech)-Astana Qazaqstan – at least according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Alongside veterans Diego Ulissi, Wout Poels, Mike Teunissen, Sergio Higuita , and Fausto Masnada, several talented riders have been brought into the team. Notable among them are the Italians Florian Kajamini and Alessandro Romele , and the Dutchman Darren van Bekkum. Kajamini, in particular, could prove to be a real star. He won a stage of the Tour de l'Avenir this year and finished fifth overall.