A hard team to like, especially with current management. Really a team that relies on their results in the Grand Tours, thankfully they are very well suited to that. One of the best moments of last season was seeing Nibali passing cobbles specialists like they were towing a car.
In:
Lars Boom (classics)
Luis Leon Sanchez (classics)
Rein Taaramae (climber, stage races)
Dario Cataldo (super domestique)
Out:
Francesco Gavazzi (classics, versatile sprinter)
Enrico Gasparotto (classics)
Maxim Iglinskiy (classics)
Janez Brajkovic (stage races, climber)
Jacopo Guarnieri (sprinter)
Stars:
Vincenzo Nibali (grand tours)
Fabio Aru (grand tours)
Lars Boom (anything hard)
Tanel Kangert (stage races, super domestique)
Jakob Fuglsang (stage races, super domestique)
Liewe Westra (versatile)
Luis Leon Sanchez (classics)
Miguel Angel Lopez (Tour D'Avenir winner)
Strengths:
Nibali is one of the great grand tour riders, and they have one of the future big contenders in Aru.
One of the best support teams for the general classifications in the grand tours.
Will be players across the classics, probably not amongst the best chances but they have a few good options.
Weaknesses:
May be putting too many eggs in the one basket, unless they do well in the grand tours, it wil almost definitely be a poor season for Astana.
Bozic only really half a sprinter, and they're not going to get many wins on the flat.
Doping scandals.
Lars Boom (classics)
Luis Leon Sanchez (classics)
Rein Taaramae (climber, stage races)
Dario Cataldo (super domestique)
Out:
Francesco Gavazzi (classics, versatile sprinter)
Enrico Gasparotto (classics)
Maxim Iglinskiy (classics)
Janez Brajkovic (stage races, climber)
Jacopo Guarnieri (sprinter)
Stars:
Vincenzo Nibali (grand tours)
Fabio Aru (grand tours)
Lars Boom (anything hard)
Tanel Kangert (stage races, super domestique)
Jakob Fuglsang (stage races, super domestique)
Liewe Westra (versatile)
Luis Leon Sanchez (classics)
Miguel Angel Lopez (Tour D'Avenir winner)
Strengths:
Nibali is one of the great grand tour riders, and they have one of the future big contenders in Aru.
One of the best support teams for the general classifications in the grand tours.
Will be players across the classics, probably not amongst the best chances but they have a few good options.
Weaknesses:
May be putting too many eggs in the one basket, unless they do well in the grand tours, it wil almost definitely be a poor season for Astana.
Bozic only really half a sprinter, and they're not going to get many wins on the flat.
Doping scandals.