Astana Team

Infobox Cycling team
teamname = Astana


code = AST
base = KAZ
founded = 2007
disbanded =
manager =Johan Bruyneel
teammanager =
discipline = Road
status = ProTour
season =
oldname =
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|leftarm1=00B0C7|body1=00B0C7|rightarm1=00B0C7|shorts1=00B0C7

The Astana Team (UCI code|AST), is a professional road bicycle racing team sponsored by the Astana group, a coalition of state-owned companies from Kazakhstan and named after its capital. Astana attained UCI ProTeam status in its inaugural year, 2007. The team is managed by Johan Bruyneel, former team manager of U.S. Postal/Discovery Channel team.

History

Demise of Liberty Seguros-Würth

Astana first became involved in sponsoring cycling during the 2006 season. The Liberty Seguros-Würth team of leading Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov was heavily implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case and the sponsors Liberty Mutual, and later Würth, withdrew their sponsorship of the team. Astana stepped in to sponsor the team, and during the second half of the season, Vinokourov won the Vuelta a España.

New team

The new Astana management initially tried to buy the ProTour licence of the former Liberty Seguros-Würth team, held by Manolo Saiz. However, Saiz was reluctant to sell, so Astana applied for a licence in their own right. Initially, the new team was based in Switzerland under the holding company of Zeus Sarl and managed by former Tour de Suisse organiser Marc Biver. Vinokourov was the team's debut leader.

The UCI ProTour license commission first informed Astana that they would not be granted a ProTour License for the 2007 season. Following UCI's decision not to grant a ProTour license, the organizers of the three Grand Tours informed Astana Team that they would be included, regardless of ProTour license status. On December 20, 2006 the UCI License Commission awarded Astana Team a 4 year ProTour license.

Withdrawal from 2007 Tour de France and sacking of Vinokourov

After a positive blood doping (transfusion) test following the winning time-trial by team-leader Alexander Vinokourov, organisers invited Team Astana's management to withdraw the entire team from the 2007 Tour de France; this invitation was immediately accepted. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6914301.stm|title=Cycling News |accessdate=2007-07-26 |publisher=BBC News]

Following confirmation that Vinokourov's B-sample had also tested positive, the Astana Team announced that he had been sacked with immediate effect. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/6922680.stm|title=Vinokourov fired by Astana team|accessdate=2007-07-30 |publisher=BBC News]

Additionally the team decided to suspend its activities during the month of August to decide about its future with new regulations. [cite web |url=http://www.team-astana.eu/e/actualite.php?id=644|title=Astana Cycling Team suspends its activities for one month|accessdate=2007-07-31 |publisher=team-astana.eu]

2008

Following the doping problems of 2007, the sponsors of Astana decided to replace Biver with Johan Bruyneel, the former directeur sportif of the defunct Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. Bruyneel had the mandate to start afresh with the team, so he hired a number of former Discovery riders including 2007 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and third place finisher Levi Leipheimer. Additionally, Bruyneel introduced the anti-doping system developed by Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, Head of Information for Anti Doping Danmark (ADD). The anti-doping system was initially used by Team CSC starting in 2007. [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=reu-astanabruyneel&prov=reuters&type=lgns Bruyneel to head new-look Astana team in 2008] - Cycling - Yahoo! Sports] The link between the Discovery Channel team and Astana was strengthened when Bruyneel signed a contract with Trek Bicycle Corporation to supply the team with bicycles and components, as they had done with Discovery Channel. Bruyneel also affirmed sponsorship with SRAM, the makers of the new sub 2,000 gram component group, Red.

On February 13 2008, the organisers of the Tour de France announced that Astana would be barred from the 2008 Tour due to its links to Operación Puerto and involvement in the 2007 Tour doping scandals. This means that Contador was not able to defend his Tour crown because his contract does not have an "escape clause" that covers Astana's current situation.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=cycling&id=3243633 |title=Tour de France organizers exclude Astana team; Alberto Contador may not defend title |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2008-02-13 |accessdate=2008-02-15] Later, on 1 June, Alberto Contador won the Giro d'Italia, finishing 11th on the final stage time trial to keep his pink jersey and take the overall victory.

On July 28 Astana fired Vladimir Gusev for showing "abnormal values" in an internal doping check. In a release from team director Johan Bruyneel it was indicated that although the results “do not indicate the use of banned substances, the team has therefore applied the contractual terms based on these physiological and biological abnormalities," dismissing Gusev "with immediate effect.” [ [http://www.velonews.com/article/80810/astana-sacks-gusev-over--abnormal-values--found-during VeloNews | Astana sacks Gusev over 'abnormal values' found during internal checks | The Journal of Competitive Cycling ] ]

On 25 September, it was confirmed that seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong would leave retirement to ride for the team in the 2009 season. Armstrong's first competitive race would be the Tour Down Under in Australia in January and that he would compete in the Tour de France in July. It was reported that he would share team leadership with current leader Contador. Earlier reports had suggested that he would also participate in the Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere, and that he would receive no salary or bonuses, instead directing his attention to raising awareness for cancer research. [cite web|url=http://www.lavuelta.com/08/ingles/online/peli11.html?e=11|title=Route Summary Stage 11|quote=Astana team-manager Johan Bruyneel has admitted that he has spoken with Lance Armstrong and has stated that he can't see the North American riding for any team other than Astana.|accessdate=2008-09-12|publisher=La Vuelta '08|date=2008-9-10] [ [http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?englishnews&20080925&56&525486 Armstrong joins Kazakhstan's team - RTHK] ]

Major achievements

;2008
* 1st, Overall,
* 1st, Overall,
* 2nd, Overall, 2008 Vuelta a España - Levi Leipheimer
* 1st, Overall, 2008 Amgen Tour of California - Levi Leipheimer
* 1st, Overall, 2008 Vuelta al País Vasco - Alberto Contador
* 1st, Overall, 2008 Tour de Romandie - Andreas Klöden
* 1st, Overall, 2008 Vuelta a Castilla y León - Alberto Contador
* 3rd, Overall, 2008 Tour de Georgia - Levi Leipheimer
* 4th, Overall, 2008 Tour de Georgia - Antonio Colóm
* 1st, Overall, 2008 Ronde van het Groene Hart - Tomas Vaitkus;2007
* 1st, Team classification, 2007 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (2007 UCI ProTour)
* 1st, Team classification, 2007 Jayco Herald Sun Tour (2007-2008 UCI Oceania Tour)

Team roster

As of September 24, 2008. [cite web | url=http://www.uciprotour.com/Modules/SUCI/TEAMS/TeamDetails.asp?id=MTAz&RefDate=02.02.2008&MenuId=MTY5Ng&BackLink=%2Ftemplates%2FUCI%2FUCI2%2Flayout%2Easp%3FMenuId%3DMTY5Ng |title=Astana (AST) - LUX Riders |work=uciprotour.com |publisher=UCI |accessdate=2008-02-01]

haomar zubeldia

External links

*Official|http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com

* [http://www.trekbikes.com/astana/ Astana Cycling Team on TrekBikes.com]
* [http://www.team-astana.com/ Fanpage of the Astana Cycling Team] : Team News, Forum, Race Results, Tech Talk