Management

ASTANA PRO TEAM (AST) - KAZ

The sky blue Astana Pro Cycling jerseys stand out in the peloton and represent the country of Kazakhstan in the UCI WorldTour.

Alexandre Vinokourov has decided to make a comeback for 2012 despite his serious injuries in last year’s Tour de France. He is 38 but hopes to end his career in his national colours and is targeting another medal at the London Olympics after winning a silver medal in the road race at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

Vino fractured his femur in the 2011 Tour de France. It took him several months to recover but he proved his critics wrong and raced again before the end of the season. When he finally hangs up his bike and retires, Vino is expected to take over management of the Astana team.

With Vinokourov perhaps past his best, Roman Kreuziger of the Czech Republic is the team’s elected and protected stage race leader. He is still only 25 but has been tipped for success ever since winning a junior world title in 2004 and winning the Tour de Suisse in 2008. He was ninth in the 2010 Tour de France and sixth in the 2011 Giro d’Italia, taking the white jersey as best young rider. He has a special group of coaches from biker sponsor Specialized helping him as he tries to do as well as possible in future Grand Tours.

The Astana team includes a large number of Kazakhstani riders. However there is also a significant Italian contingent that has been boosted even further for 2012 under the influence of Italian team manager Giuseppe Martinelli. Fast finisher Enrico Gasparotto and climber Paolo Tiralongo have been a key rider for several years. They have been joined by sprinter Jacopo Guarnieri, Simone Ponzi and Francesco Gavazzi. Other new recruits are Borut Bozic from Slovenia, Egor Silin of Russia, Dmitriy Muravyev.

However the biggest Astana signing for 2012 is without a doubt Slovenia’s Janez Brajkovic. He won the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2010 and if he is back to his best after an injury-hit 2011, he will be a valid alternative to Kreuziger and a possible heir to Vinokourov’s crown.