Astana updates roster

Astana is rounding out its roster to fill the gap left by the departure of Alberto Contador and three trusted teammates.

While Contador’s immediate future has been thrown into doubt following a potential positive doping test, Astana has been quietly rebuilding its team and perhaps quietly breathing a sigh of relief that the three-time Tour de France champion decided to leave the team last month. Following Contador out the door are Benjamin Noval, Jesus Hernandez and Dani Navarro, all headed to Saxo Bank. Oscar Pereiro is also expected to retire, leaving behind just David de la Fuente (thought to be leaving as well) and Josep Jufre as part of the once high Spanish presence on the Kazakh-backed team.

The team’s biggest signing is Roman Kreuziger, who leaves Liquigas after posting back-to-back top-10s at the Tour de France. The talented Czech rider is thought by many to have grand tour potential and will be the team’s new GC leader at the grand tours. Alexander Vinokourov has indicated he will race at least one more season, giving the Astana team a solid presence in the major races.

Also coming across are Fredrik Kessiakoff, who leaves Garmin-Transitions after one season. The Swede had an injury-plagued season and was not much of a factor for Garmin this year.

Astana has also picked up Evgeni Petrov from Katusha, where the Russian finally won a stage at the Giro d’Italia this season after suffering through several lackluster campaigns despite winning the U23 world title and touting GC credentials early in his career. Remi Di Gregorio is hoping to revive his stalled career, coming over from FDJ. Talented Italian prospect Francesco Masciarelli will see more opportunities with the switch from pro continental Acqua e Sapone to ProTour Astana.

Other new signings include Mirko Lorenzetto (Lampre), Simon Clarke (ISD-Neri), Robert Kiserlovski (Liquigas) and Tanel Kangert (FDJ).