Wout Poels embracing new challenge with XDS Astana Team in 2025: “You should never avoid a challenge”

After spending the past few seasons with Bahrain - Victorious, Wout Poels has taken on a fresh challenge in 2025, joining XDS Astana Team, a squad desperately fighting to retain its WorldTour status.

Now 37, Poels remains a savvy and experienced rider. The Dutchman, who won Liege-Bastogne-Liege in 2016 and has claimed stage victories at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, is still proving his worth at the highest level. He recently spoke to Wielerflits during the Tour of Oman, where he finished a respectable seventh overall.

Despite his new team’s struggles, Poels has no regrets about his decision. “No, I also thought it would be a nice challenge to help the team stay in the WorldTour. It is a difficult task, but you should never avoid a nice challenge.”

Poels has quickly adapted to his surroundings at Astana, feeling welcomed by the team. “Of course I don't know what the team was like before, but I have to be honest: I feel very welcome. Everyone is super friendly. That makes a big difference, that you immediately have a warm feeling during the first training camps.

"That is very nice. In a first race you have to get used to certain things of course. Some things are different here, but my first impression is positive.”

While Astana has traditionally had a Kazakh identity, Poels has noticed a strong Italian influence within the squad. “I would rather say that there is a bit of an Italian culture. We have a lot of Italian-speaking staff. There are also a lot of Dutch people.

"You do notice at the food that you seek each other out, especially when you are new. That is also nice sometimes. I have ridden for many foreign teams with other nationalities. Then it is nice to meet Dutch people sometimes. It is nice to be able to talk in your own language every now and then.”

Poels’ exit from Bahrain Victorious wasn’t entirely on his terms. He was pulled from their Giro d’Italia squad at the last minute in 2024, a decision that left him frustrated. “That was of course a shame. I had fully focused on it and made it a goal. Then they took you out of the selection at the last minute. That was a bit of a shock, but then you keep going. Fortunately, I was able to go to the Tour de France. It is what it is.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Poels hopes to finally return to the Giro. "I hope so. It's the planning, but I thought that last year too," he said with a laugh. "But I do have high hopes."

Astana has had a strong start to the season, collecting vital UCI points in their battle to stay in the WorldTour. “You can also see that the team has started very well. They ride with many guys in the top 10 and then you collect quite a few UCI points.

“Take the Muscat Classic, where we finish with three guys in the top 10. Normally you go for the win, but now you have to think tactically and then execute it. That is going well at the moment.”

With WorldTour survival on the line, every race matters for Poels and his teammates. “Of course, everyone wants to achieve good results. If you do that, you also score points. Everyone knows what the goal is and really wants to fight for it.

“It is especially important for the team to make a good plan and think tactically. Where can you really score points? And with which riders? Where can you best use them? But also to find a good balance between racing and rest. So that not everyone is burned out at the beginning, and then at the end they no longer score anything.”