With the opening of the men's 2024 road season now just a few days away, Astana Qazaqstan Team are the latest to reveal their lineup for the Tour Down Under.
With the stars of the Kazakh-based team, Mark Cavendish and Alexey Lutsenko starting the seasons in South America at the Tour Colombia, the Astana Qazaqstan Team roster heading to Australia has a chance to make a name for themselves.
Italian quartet, Samuele Battistella, Gianmarco Garofoli, Christian Scaroni and Michele Gazzoli will be joined by a pair of German's, Max Kanter and Rudiger Selig, with Dmitriy Gruzdev rounding out a lineup that has plenty of potential.
Astana Qazaqstan Team for the Tour Down Under:
Samuele Battistella, Gianmarco Garofoli, Christian Scaroni, Rudiger Selig, Dmitriy Gruzdev, Max Kanter and Michele Gazzoli.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Noted. But I had to appease his fans.MajorPayne19-10-2026
- I wonder if he'll race Challenge Mallorca
Rafionain-Glas19-10-2026 - Head to head time-splits: Jay Vine vs Remco Evenepoel: 10.5 km - Vine lost 45 seconds to Evenepoel 34.2 km - Vine lost a further 1:10, and was caught in the vicinity of that checkpoint. Note: I remember Vine getting caught before the second checkpoint, and ProCyclingStats log supports that, however, the gap at the second checkpoint was less than 2 minutes. 45.4 km - Vine lost only 16 seconds Of course, Vine lost less time in the middle section than the early section, but at the final segment rate, he'd have lost 15 seconds in the opening section and and 34 seconds in the middle. It is possible that Vine paced himself very well but that seems unlikely. In comparison with Stefan Küng: Kung lost: 26 seconds at T1. A further 1:11 by T2. A further 40 seconds by the finish. Relative to Evenepoel, Küng did slow down by the end. Maxime Decomble: Lost 47 seconds at T1. A further 1:20 by T2. A further 26 seconds by the finish. Mikkel Bjerg: Lost 37 seconds at T1. A further 1:34 by T2. A further 46 seconds by the finish. It is not concrete evidence that Vine cheated though it certainly doesn't absolve him. However, watching the race, I am 100% sure that Vine did not pull over and follow a different line when Remco passed him. Remco pulled away quite quickly, but the gap did not balloon and Vine definitely got aero assistance.Rafionain-Glas19-10-2026
- That ship has sailed years agovappaxbipmv19-10-2026
- He doesn't have to. I'd be perfectly happy if he loses SB if he then wins everything elsevappaxbipmv19-10-2026
- Please don't put Remco in the same sentence as Tadej. It's disrespectful to Tadej. Please make a note of this.KissinKate19-10-2026
- ....and you just described how americans are fleecing american fans as well. We don't even get the eurosport coverage you get. What you see on yurrup HBO is not available in this country. Trust me, being a cycling fan sucks everywhere.KissinKate19-10-2026
- While media outlets point to the loss of Richard Carapaz, Kasper Asgreen, and rising talents like Steinhauser as a sign of trouble, this is actually classic EF Pro Cycling tactical pivot at play. Operating on less than half the budget of state-backed super-teams, Jonathan Vaughters smartly maximized Carapaz’s return on investment by turning high salary and health setbacks into Tour stage wins, Yellow, and the Polka Dot jersey, before freeing up vital capital when his valuation peaked. Let us be completely honest here: Carapaz’s departure to NSN is strictly about securing one final massive payday before calling time on his career, rather than building a lasting sporting legacy. EF built a squad around him and gave him tactical freedom that few teams would offer, but given his ongoing health concerns and age, keeping him at that price point represented an unsustainable risk. It is very unlikely he will match the freedom or success he enjoyed at EF with his new team, making this move a pure business decision for a veteran rider cashing in on his remaining value. In contrast, while signing Tao Geoghegan Hart carries its own physical risk, it comes at a vastly different financial scale that protects EF's bottom line while offering immense upside. Replacing that climbing depth won't happen overnight, but bringing in Tao fits EF’s proven reclamation playbook perfectly by providing a low-pressure, culture-first environment for a proven Grand Tour winner to find his magic legs again. Backed by a secured core in Ben Healy, Neilson Powless, and Sean Quinn through 2029, EF isn't crumbling; they are simply resetting their wage structure, staying nimble, and betting on high-ceiling upside where richer teams only see risk.wambo19-10-2026
- This is classic EF Pro Cycling: where other WorldTour squads see risk and injury recovery as a liability, Jonathan Vaughters sees high-ceiling potential and an opportunity to build a custom runway for a rider's resurgence. While Richard Carapaz's high salary and health setbacks made a traditional Grand Tour victory unlikely against today's dominant talents, EF smartly maximized every ounce of his ability by pivoting toward high-visibility targets like a Tour de France stage win, the Yellow Jersey, and the King of the Mountains title. Now, with Carapaz moving on, Tao Geoghegan Hart’s ceiling when healthy is undeniable, and after a tough couple of years recovering from his Giro crash, EF's patient, culture-first approach might be the exact environment he needs to find his magic legs again. EF has consistently proved that they do not need the largest budget in the peloton to extract elite value and deliver memorable performances. By giving Tao the time and tactical freedom to rebuild without overwhelming pressure, this move could easily pay huge dividends and shock a lot of people in the coming seasons.wambo19-10-2026
- The article makes it sound like a great thing and something to be applauded. The reality is is gives the Americans another 6 years to fleece European cycling fans or force them to hunt around Europe with VPN’s for free feeds. Not something to be celebrated in my book. Before someone points out that coverage of this depth costs money, yes, I agree but not £30+ per month a fee I will wager will gradually increase now this deal has been cemented.Paul53119-10-2026
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🇦🇺 ROSTER: @tourdownunder 🇮🇹 @samu_batti 🇮🇹 Gianmarco Garofoli 🇮🇹 Michele Gazzoli 🇰🇿 Dmitriy Gruzdev 🇩🇪 Max Kanter 🇮🇹 Christian Scaroni 🇩🇪 Rüdiger Selig #TDU2024 #TourDownUnder
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