Astana Qazaqstan Team have dropped quite a few bombshells in the cycling world today, as they announce their main plan for the 2024 season. Mark Cavendish has re-signed with the Kazakh team, and now it is revealed that his former leadout man and coach from his Soudal - Quick-Step days are also coming into the lineup.
“Michael is a true professional and we know him as one of the best lead-out riders in the modern peloton," Aleksandr Vinokourov said on the transfer of Michael Morkov, confirmed this Wednesday afternoon, to be the leadout man of Cavendish into the 2024 season. "His experience and his race vision are priceless, and this kind of rider is exactly that our team needs building up the sprint group where the experience will combine with the youth. I hope Michael could be a one of the keys in creating a strong group which will be able to chase something important in the next season."
Morkov is known to be one of the best leadout men in the peloton. A track specialist and absolute key part of Soudal - Quick-Step's leadouts over the past few years, he has also had plenty experience working with Cavendish, including the 2021 Tour de France where the duo worked together towards four stage wins. “I am really excited to join Astana Qazaqstan Team in 2024, it is a team which lives a huge development, and I am honored to come there in the right moment. And, of course, I am happy to reunite with my former teammate Mark Cavendish to chase the new victories for him but also for Astana."
"Besides, the upcoming year is a year of the Olympics and I have a big ambition to fight again for the gold medal in Madison. The team is ready to provide me a good support in chasing this dream and I am really grateful for it. In general, I am happy and ready to provide all my experience in cycling to help the team to reach its biggest goals throughout the next season."
After signing Mark Renshaw as a member of the staff throughout 2023, it has become clear that the management wanted to support Cavendish as best as possible. Hence, they have also revealed to be bringing in Vasilis Anastopoulos, the coach of helped the Manxman return to his best form during his stupendous 2021 season.
"At the same time, we also aiming the developing of the sprint and I believe Vasilis is the right person for it," Vinokourov added. "He is a big professional and with the vision Vasilis has to the keys points we have to work on, I believe that in the upcoming seasons we can improve a lot both, in the the direction we chose at the start of this season with the arrival of Mark Cavendish and Cees Bol."
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- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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🇩🇰 NEW RIDER: @MichaelMorkov We welcome Michael Mørkøv as our new rider for 2024: 📰👉bit.ly/46hFX5Z #AstanaQazaqstanTeam 📷 @SprintCycling
🇬🇷 NEWS: @vanasto We welcome Vasilis Anastopoulos as our head of performance from 2024: 📰👉bit.ly/48yrV1D #AstanaQazaqstanTeam
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