Chinese brand could turn Astana into a new 'super team' with a significant budget boost

Alexander Vinokurov and whole Astana Qazaqstan Team have another reason to celebrate on top of Mark Cavendish's Tour de France stage victory. You could say the Kazakh team has finally completed the mission they embarked on back in 2023. 18 months ago, they put their WT license in a stake to assist the Manxman to deliver the historical 35th triumph. But now even greater task awaits Astana, who are currently far from staying in the WorldTour.

Currently, almost 4.000 points behind 18th Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, is it even possible to bridge the gap? Rational says 'no', but if Astana manages to step up similarly to Decathlon AG2R, who have scored over 10.000 points just halfway through 2024, then there's still a chance. But it makes sense a miracle won't be possible with Astana's current lineup.

And this is where Chinese carbon product manufacturer XDS Carbon-Tech, one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, comes into play. Cyclingnews reports that the Shenzen-based company will become a major investor in the team for a period ranging from five to ten years.

In case the events will set in full motion, the team would be newly Chinese-registered from 2025 and could see a budget increase to a level comparable with the 'super teams' such as UAE Team Emirates and Visma | Lease a Bike. The team will also switch bike suppliers as part of the deal, moving from Wilier to little-known Chinese brand X-Lab.

Astana Qazaqstan are determined to retain their WorldTour status for the next license period from 2026 and the Chinese investment should allow Vinokourov to sign several other big-name riders and so score sufficient points to stay in the WorldTour.

According to a report in L'Equipe last month, as many as 18 of the team's current squad of 29 riders are out of contract at the end of the season, meaning an influx of funds could result in a revamp of the racing squad. Reports suggest the Australian sprinter Kaden Groves could be on his way to Astana, while the team has reportedly showed interest in signing several other riders including Simon Yates and Joao Almeida.

The Chinese brand is not entirely new to the most die-hard of cycling fans, as there has been a team backed by the company cruising in the continental waters since 2012. Shenzhen Xidesheng may not have the biggest names on their roster and they're not even invited for Tour of Qinghai Lake (2.Pro) starting this Saturday, however the team's 20-year-old sprinter Haijie Hu already finished three times on a podium in the highly-rated China Pro League, proving the quality of their equipment.

Rebranding to a Chinese formation could, among other things, mean a unique opportunity to race at the WorldTour for a few Chinese riders. If we look for adepts to make the step, we must check out the Turkey-based China Glory where some of the top Chinese talent have been slowly discovering the European racing.

However according to the team's DS Lionel Marie who spoke to GlobalPeloton, there's only one adept for the jump, and that would be the puncheur Xianjing Lyu. The 26-year-old might be the ideal pioneer to build a pathway to professional peloton for a new generation of Chinese riders.