Alberto Bettiol discusses impact of Chinese manufacturer XDS on XDS Astana Team: "But now I am wearing the tricolour in a Kazakh-Chinese team and I am proud of that"
Cycling
Alberto Bettiol, the 2019 Tour of Flanders winner and a Giro
d’Italia stage winner in 2021, is embarking on an exciting new journey with the
XDS Astana Team in 2025. At 31 years old and entering his twelfth season as a
professional cyclist, Bettiol brings a wealth of experience to the
Kazakh-Chinese team, which is breaking new ground in the sport by partnering
with Chinese bike manufacturer XDS.
In a recent interview with Il Giornale, Bettiol
shared his impressions of XDS after visiting their production facilities in
China. "When I visited the production in China, I was amazed,"
Bettiol remarked. "I was in a city, not a factory. I didn't have the
feeling that I had entered a production unit, but a new world, made up
exclusively of bikes. A long and endless road that ended in an immense
building: XDS Bikes."
The partnership with XDS marks the first time a Chinese bike
brand has been used by a WorldTour team, a milestone Bettiol is proud to be
part of. "I am aware of it and I am honoured," he said. "When I
accepted the offer from Astana, I knew I was signing a contract that would take
me further than what I had seen and experienced so far. I am no longer a child;
this will be my twelfth season as a pro. I have always ridden for American
teams. But now I am wearing the tricolour in a Kazakh-Chinese team and I am proud
of that."
Bettiol is gearing up for a demanding spring campaign, with
Milano-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders among his main targets. Known for his
instinctive racing style, he has chosen to shun power metres and excessive
reliance on data during races. "I use them in the preparation phase, but
when it comes to racing, I take everything off and start working with my
head," he explained. "I don’t want to be influenced by a smartwatch
that tells me if I slept badly. If I feel good, I do what I feel like. Figures
are important, but they are not everything. If cycling is popular these days,
it is because there are authentic champion riders who let themselves go,
without fear of making mistakes."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment