Luis León Sanchéz experienced a strong season with Bahrain - Victorious, and he will be moving for the third time in his career to Astana Qazaqstan Team for a one-year deal.
The Spaniard raced for the Kazakh structure already from 2004 to 2006, and then again from 2015 to 2021. Although a decade past his prime, the motivation has not lowered and in 2022 he finished the Tour de France in 13th position and later on the Vuelta a Espana in 16th place. Although not a leader in the squad, he was given freedom to chase his own results, something he will keep having as he will return to the team he's ridden for the most throughout the last few years.
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“I am incredibly happy to return to the Astana team, in fact, to return home," the 38 year-old said in a press release. "I have great feelings, having signed a contract with the team again, for me it is a great joy and a huge motivation." Sanchéz moved out of Astana last season, but is now returning to a team that has several Spanish speaking riders with whom he will make a block. His aggressive style of racing and all-rounder attributes fit perfectly within the team's style of racing.
"I want to thank Alexandr Vinokurov and the entire management for this opportunity. It happened that at the end of the last year we had to part ways, but I used this season as productively as possible, I worked hard, gained new experience, tried to improve professionally. Of course, I am grateful to my current team for the great opportunity to spend the 2022 season together, but now I am looking forward to reuniting with Astana Qazaqstan Team to continue moving towards new goals together," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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🏠 Welcome back home, @LLEONSANCHEZ 📰👉bit.ly/3gqedHA #AstanaQazaqstanTeam 📷@GettySport
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