November has arrived, and with it comes the opportunity to assess the cycling year of 2023. In this series, IDLProCycling.com will evaluate each WorldTour team, reflecting on their past performance and anticipating the year ahead. We kick off with the team that occupied the last position in the UCI Ranking: Astana Qazaqstan Team.
One-day races 2023: Astana Qazaqstan Team
Let's be honest, it wasn't an outstanding year for Astana Qazaqstan Team. They managed to secure a top 25 finish in just one monument: Simone Velasco's 19th place in the early breakaway at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Italian rider also claimed victory in his national championship, marking the team's most significant single-day success. The majority of their one-day results hinged on Alexey Lutsenko.
The team's Kazakh leader delivered commendable performances in races like Strade Bianche (11th) and, notably, the Amstel Gold Race (fifth), though he faced setbacks due to illness during the remaining Ardennes races. In the autumn, Lutsenko secured notable wins in the Circuito de Getxo and the Memorial Marco Pantani, both 1.1 races. It's also worth mentioning Mark Cavendish's third-place finish in the Scheldeprijs.
(Grand) Tours 2023: Astana Qazaqstan Team
Astana Qazaqstan Team secured a single WorldTour-level victory this season, and it happened right away: Cavendish, with the assistance of his compatriot and contemporary Geraint Thomas, claimed the final stage of the Giro d'Italia. The British rider then assumed the role of the undisputed leader at the Tour, where he regrettably had to withdraw due to a collarbone fracture.
Classification leader Lutsenko's Tour de France performance waned, following two consecutive top-ten finishes in the past two years. However, he still managed to secure victories in two 2.1 stage races, the Tour of Sicily and the Tour of Turkey. Additionally, Samuele Battistella's ninth-place finish at the Tour of Poland and Harold Tejada's 10th-place finish at the Tour of Switzerland rounded out the team's notable results.
Cees Bol also made valuable contributions, earning a third-place classification finish in the Four Days of Dunkirk and a fifth-place finish in the ZLM Tour. Other stage wins came from Michele Gazzoli in the Arctic Race of Norway, Gleb Syritsa in the Tour of Langkawi, and Velasco in the Tour of Valencia.
Final figure 2023 Astana Qazaqstan team
Overall, we regret to say that the team under the leadership of team boss Alexandre Vinokourov falls short of receiving a passing grade. With only one WorldTour-level victory, the former Kazakh powerhouse failed to leave a significant mark on the cycling season. However, it's worth noting that the team, particularly with Cavendish's presence, managed to attract considerable attention. Therefore, the final verdict from the (former) editors of this website is 3.7.
Transfers 2023/2024: Astana Qazaqstan Team
As of the current moment, Astana Qazaqstan Team has 23 riders under contract for 2024, necessitating some announcements. This is particularly relevant for contract extensions, as 14 of the team's riders do not yet have confirmed deals for the upcoming year. The team has already signed eight new riders for the next season, including two riders from the U23 team.
The team made substantial investments in the sprinting department, securing the services of Michael Morkov, Rüdiger Selig, Max Kanter, and Davide Ballerini. Additionally, the latter, along with Dutch acquisition Ide Schelling, is expected to play a role in one-day races. To strengthen their capabilities for climbing in the (major) tours, the team has brought in promising talents such as Lorenzo Fortunato, Henok Mulubhran, and Anthon Charmig from the procontinental level. All of these riders show great potential.
Luis León Sanchez, Manuele Boaro and Davide Martinelli ended their careers, while Fabio Felline returns to the old nest at Lidl-Trek. The team thus loses much-needed experience in lap work, while talented climber Javier Romo opted to join Movistar.
Incoming: Michael Morkov, Davide Ballerini (Soudal Quick-Step), Ide Schelling (BORA-hansgrohe), Lorenzo Fortunato (EOLO-Kometa), Max Kanter (Movistar), Rüdiger Selig (Lotto-Dstny), Anthon Charmig (Uno-X), Henok Mulubhran (Green Project Bardiani), Daniil Marukhin (Vino Team), Anton Kuzmin (Almaty), Harold Martin López and Nicolas Vinokourov (Astana Development Team)
(Provisional) outgoing: Luis León Sánchez, Davide Martinelli, Manual Boaro (stopping), Fabio Felline (Lidl-Trek) and Javier Romo (Movistar)
Ones to watch 2024: Astana Qazaqstan Team
It is clear what Astana Qazaqstan Team is aiming for in 2024: the 35th stage victory in the Tour de France with Cavendish. To that end, the team made every effort with recruiting riders and staff: a lead-out with Bol, Morkov, Ballerini and Selig already looks imposing. Those first men, like Kanter and Gleb Syritsa, can still score occasionally themselves.
From a Dutch perspective, the acquisition of Schelling is particularly intriguing. The Hagen native has demonstrated his prowess in a free role during his time at BORA-hansgrohe, and it's exciting to see how he'll fit into the plans of Astana Qazaqstan Team. When combined with Italians Velasco and Cristian Scaroni, this creates an intriguing lineup for the classics.
In the grand tours, Lutsenko will undoubtedly continue to be the focal point, but with the additions of Fortunato, Charmig, and Mulubhran, the team has also brought in riders with the potential to make significant strides. The same holds true for former U23 world champion Yevgeniy Fedorov.
(Provisional) selection Astana Qazaqstan Team 2024
- Davide Ballerini
- Samuele Battistella
- Cees Bol
- Gleb Brussenskiy
- Mark Cavendish
- Anthon Charming
- Igor Chzhan
- Yevgeniy Fedorov
- Lorenzo Fortunato
- Gianmarco Garofoli
- Max Kanter
- Anton Kuzmin
- Alexey Lutsenko
- Harold Martin López
- Daniil Marukhin
- Henok Mulubhran
- Michael Morkov
- Vadim Pronskiy
- Ide Schelling
- Rüdiger Selig
- Gleb Syritsa
- Simone Velasco
- Nicolas Vinokourov
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