Astana Qazaqstan signs two Kazakh riders who shone on the continental level

Daniil Marukhin (24) is going to make a big step into the WorldTour with Astana Qazaqstan Team. Marukhin signed a two-year deal with the Kazakh project. Daniil Marukhin has spent six seasons in different continental teams from Kazakhstan, scoring a set of high results both on the regional and continental levels. In 2023 Marukhin won the Tour of Van, Grand Prix Kültepe and achieved several strong results in general classifications.

"Signing a contract with Astana Qazaqstan Team is a big step for me. From the early years of my career, I had a clear goal – to become a professional rider, to get to Astana, to wear the jersey of the main cycling team of Kazakhstan. Over the past few years, I have seriously improved, hard work has begun to give the first results at the continental level, and now I am very happy that I can continue in one of the best teams in the world. I know that I can prove myself in the WorldTour, I can become the rider who is able to help the team and can achieve his personal results," said Marukhin in a press release.

Unlike Marukhin, Anton Kuzmin (26) is not a new face at the professional level, having spent two seasons with Gazprom-Rusvelo where he raced Il Lombardia among others. In 2023 Kuzmin won a stage of the Tour of Thailand and the Tour of Kandovan or became third in the General Classification of the Tour of Iran. While Marukhin is more of a versatile rider, Kuzmin's cup of tea are hard races with a lot of climbing.

"I have been cheering for Astana team since childhood. I always dreamed to be a part of the team, to get onto the WorldTour. Now the dream is coming true, but I know that there is a huge amount of work to be done to prepare for my first season in the WorldTour, to become a true professional and prove myself from the best side. I am ready to work hard to achieve my goals and to help the team to achieve success," added Kuzmin.