Double training camp block for Astana team
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Italian and Spanish venues for pre-season work
The start of the season is almost two months away but the Astana team is intensifying its preparations for 2012 with two back-to-back training camps being held this month. On Monday the riders will meet in Montecatini in Italy and stay there until Thursday, after which they will fly to Calpe in Spain for the start of a ten day camp there.Apart from building fitness, the aim will be to ensure the equipment and bike setup is fine-tuned for the riders, as well as to discuss plans for the season.
The Astana team will once again be led by Alexandre Vinokourov in 2012, and will be bolstered by the addition of riders like Vuelta a España stage winner Borut Bozic, 2010 Critérium du Dauphiné victor Janez Brajkovic, Vuelta al Pais Vasco stage winner Francesco Gavazzi and the promising Belgian rider Kevin Seeldraeyers.
Riders like Roman Kreuziger, Fredrik Kessiakoff and Valentin Iglinskiy continue from the 2011 team and with Vinokourov almost certain to retire next year, should have stronger opportunities to push for big results. The team will encourage that too, as Vinokourov’s points were a big reason why the squad was able to hold onto its ProTeam licence. Others will need to step up to ensure that the team retains its place in cycling’s elite for 2013.
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Astana training camp to start on Monday
UCI WorldTour team Astana has revealed that its 2012 preseason training camp will start on Monday, November 28 in Montecatini Terme, Italy. The Kazakh team will gather at the famous health resort in Tuscany for three days of initial training before moving on to Calpe, Spain, for a further nine days up to December 10.
The squad, which will include off-season signings Kevin Seeldraeyers (Belgium) and Slovenian duo Borut Bozic and Janez Brajkovic, will be looking to make a fast start to 2012 after finishing in a disappointing 15th place in the rankings in 2011. The loss of Spanish star Alberto Contador was a key factor in their decline, with the team having finished in 3rd place in the 2010 rankings when Contador was still part of their roster and won the Tour de France.