Alberto Bettiol signs with Astana Qazaqstan Team with immediate effect and leaves EF Education-EasyPost behind

It is quite an uncommon sight, but mid-season transfers do happen. It had already been reported that Alberto Bettiol would leave EF Education-EasyPost and join Astana Qazaqstan Team and this has not been confirmed by the Kazakh team who have a new leader.

“For us, Alberto Bettiol is primarily a reinforcement for classic and one-day races. He is spending an excellent season, and I hope that the second half of the year with our team will also be at a high level," team DS Alexandr Vinokourov said in a press release. "I am grateful to the management of EF Education-EasyPost for their open and friendly approach during the discussions and preparation for this mid-season transfer, and I am pleased that we found many common goals and prospects with Alberto for his future in our team. Together with other riders, Bettiol will form a strong group capable of competing for top positions in classic races of any level. We are still discussing Alberto’s exact calendar, but I believe that we will soon see the Italian champion’s jersey in Astana Qazaqstan Team".

The Italian comes in as another rider for the one-day races, having in his palmarès victories as strong as the Tour of Flanders. This year he has won Milano-Torino, Boucles de la Mayenne and the Italian national championships. Most recently, he raced the Tour de France and Olympic Games. The mid-season transfer comes likely as a result of Astana looking for UCI points, in urgency as they face likely relegation next year.

“First of all, I want to say that I am very happy to be joining Astana Qazaqstan Team," the 30-year old commented. "I was impressed by the interest the team showed in me and by the attitude I saw from Alexandr Vinokurov. All of this convinced me that I am making the right choice by making this move even in the middle of the season. I want to thank my previous team, EF Education-EasyPost, for all these years during which I have become the rider I am today."

"Yes, Astana Qazaqstan Team is a new team for me, but I’m confident that integrating into the team will be easy because I am already familiar with many of the riders and staff members. I can’t wait to meet the team and race together. I don’t know my exact program yet; we still need to discuss the calendar. For now, I am at the altitude training camp in Livigno, preparing for the second half of the season”