"We now suddenly have a super good train" - Cees Bol very confident of Astana's abilities to deliver in the sprints next season
Cycling
Cees Bol and Mark Cavendish were to team up at B&B Hotels-KTM this year, but as fate would have it, their future ended up being in Astana Qazaqstan Team. The Dutchman didn't end up racing much as a leadout this year, however into 2024 he believes that Astana will be very well prepared to help Cavendish.
"That is very nice, of course. I had the increasing feeling that things were going in that direction, but it is only certain when it is confirmed," Bol told In de Leiderstrui. "He is a nice guy to have in the team. He creates a good atmosphere and really brings the boys together. That means we race as a team, which is great. It is important for the team to have a top sprinter who competes for prizes in the biggest competitions. Those two factors make his decision special."
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Bol is happy to continue with the Kazakh team for another year alongside Cavendish, who will now not only have in his staff Mark Renshaw and former coach Vasilis Anastopoulos who helped him back into form at Soudal - Quick-Step in 2021, but also former leadout men Michael Morkov and Davide Ballerini. A setup that is fully focused on the Manxman, and his mission of trying to take an historic 35th triumph at the Tour de France.
"With Mørkøv and Ballerini we now suddenly have a super good train, so I'm looking forward to going to the Tour de France with them," Bol says. "I don't know if this will reduce my own chances, as I already had those chances this year in races in which Mark did not ride. That won't be very different. If the team is better and the level during training is also better, then that also makes you better."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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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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- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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🇩🇰 NEW RIDER: @MichaelMorkov We welcome Michael Mørkøv as our new rider for 2024: 📰👉bit.ly/46hFX5Z #AstanaQazaqstanTeam 📷 @SprintCycling
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